The Legacy of Asgard
by Anaklusmos14
Summary: Percy Jackson is a demigod. He is not a son of Poseidon. He is not even Greek. A Norse goddess has her sights set of Midgard as Percy is the last of his people left on earth as he awaits his destiny. To reach it, grudges and prejudices must be forgotten and he must find acceptance in a world in which he does not belong. AU of Percy's Life as a Norse demigod.
1. Just a Walk in the Park

Ch. 1 Prologue

The sky was dark and the overcast skies provided little light from the moon and stars as a young teen made her way through the wooded part of the Central Park. She looked around fifteen but if one were to glance into her eyes, they showed her true age, the eyes of a woman who had seen more days than a normal mortal could comprehend. Her pace was quick as she searched for any sign of her companions. They had become separated after being ambushed by a group of dark creatures and she had somehow managed to end up far away from the place of their conflict.

As she moved through the trees, little gleams of silver from her parka were all that one could make out in the dim lighting. The sound of voices in the distance quickened her speed as she burst out of the tree line and came to a quick halt.

The voices had come from a group of young males, all in their late teens or early twenties. A scowl appeared on the girl's face as she laid eyes on the males before she stepped back, trying to slip back into woods quickly.

Unfortunately the males had noticed her and were all looking at her oddly.

"You lost little girl?" One of the yelled over to her.

Her scowl deepened, "Shut up boy and mind your own business." She hissed.

The teen scowled as he stepped towards the girl before his expression darkened, "That wasn't very nice you little bitch. You should be grateful for my help. Come here, now."

The look in the girl's eyes was absolutely murderous. She knew she needed to leave but she was not one to be talked to that way and simply take it in stride.

"Oh, you'll see me again. I believe the animal population will soon increase in the park." She sneered before turning around only to find two more of the teen males behind her.

They stepped forward to grab her but she dropped into a crouch and swept one of the teen's legs out from under him before she spun and delivered a punishing knee into the groin of the second.

She turned only to have a hard fist driven into her temple sending her to the ground in a daze.

"You little bitch!" The teen who had been hit in groin yelled as he kicked her hard in the ribs.

Soon she was surrounded by a dozen of these teens but in her daze from the punch they looked like blurs.

"This one has some fight in her, I'll give her that." An older male in his early twenties and who appeared to be the leader said smirking. "Perhaps I outta break her spirit." He said gesturing to two of his goonies who stepped on her wrists, pinning her to the ground.

In her half-conscious state, the girl could hear the man unbuckling the belt on his pants before thunder boomed so loudly the entire group jumped a bit before the turned back to their captive.

"Leave now." A voice said firmly from the woods making the group turn and gaze into the trees trying to find a glimpse of the owner of the voice.

The girl's vision was slowly becoming clearer but she was still pinned down by the wrists from the two men stepping on them and couldn't see into the woods. She prayed it would be a god like Apollo who happened to come across her dire situation.

The group watched the woods before laughter broke out amongst the group as a hooded figure around five foot ten stepped out of the woods.

"Go away kid unless you want to get hurt." The leader laughed.

The figure dropped his hood to reveal raven black hair and eyes that were blue but the sclera were tinted yellow and almost seemed to glow a bit in the dark night air.

"Leave now or most of you will likely die. Last chance." The figure said calmly as he eyed the group with disgust.

The leader laughed again, "You think you can mess with MS-13 kid? I don't know if you're just crazy or have a death wish but have it your way." He said gesturing for one of the members of his posse to approach the boy.

The gang member reached the boy and made to grab him when the young teen moved with blazing speed kicking the gangster in the stomach. As he hunched, the teen grabbed his head between his inner arm and ribs before he spun his body, the sickening sound of a neck breaking rang out through the night before he dropped the dead man to the ground.

The gang seemed in shock for a minute as they looked between their dead member's body and the strange kid.

"Kill this punk!" The leader bellowed as the gang pulled out a variety of guns prepared to strike the lone figure down.

Before they could the young teen raised his hand as electricity shot from it in tendrils striking the weapons and forcing them to be dropped by the gang.

"I don't like guns. First person to touch one will die before they lift it an inch off the ground." He stated calmly but his eyes shown with anger.

"W…What are you?" One of the gang members stuttered out in fear.

In response the figure reached into his cloak and flung a small battle axe at the man where it imbedded in his forehead. The young adult was dead before he hit the ground.

The rest of the members of MS-13 looked at him in fear as lightning danced across the figure's eyes.

A very small smirk appeared on his face before a small bolt of lightning hit the ground beside him, "Run." He said in a quiet but dangerous tone.

The members of the gang glanced at him in horror before they turned and bolted away from him and the girl without a word.

The young teen walked over to the girl dressed in silver and knelt down.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

The girl slowly nodded, unsure of what to say after he had saved her. After a moment, she found her voice.

"Yes, uh, thank you for that. Who are you?" She asked back shocked and slightly wary of the powerful teen next to her.

The boy closed his eyes and began to chant softly in a language she had never heard before. Slowly the pain in the side of her head lessened and the throbbing in her ribs came to a halt as she stared at him in disbelief.

"My name is not important and I must leave. I have no wish to meet your mistress or any of your sisters." He said standing up.

The girl opened her mouth to speak again when she was engulfed by a silver light. The boy grunted in pain as a silver arrow imbedded in his arm. He spun around only to find fifteen silver clad teens making their way towards him being led by one with silver eyes who looked about twelve years old.

"You dare attack my huntress _boy?" _The silver eyed girl growled at him.

The boy pulled out the arrow and tossed it to the ground before he twisted a ring on his finger as his body glowed for a second and he was covered in strange looking armor that made the childlike goddess pause for a second.

She got over her surprise and notched an arrow and took aim at the boy's head.

"Any last words?"

The boy paused for a second before the sound of horses behind him drew the attention of the goddess and her hunters. Three women dressed in armor with winged helmets seemingly appeared out of nowhere and stopped by the boy's side.

"If you dare harm that child I shall make sure none of your hunters are spared goddess." One of the woman spat, her eyes full of rage.

Artemis gasped, "Valkyries," she said in disbelief.

Another one of the Valkyries stood on her steed in front of the boy but her eyes were filled with worry more than anger.

"Stop goddess. You are making a mistake."

Artemis narrowed her eyes, "He attacked my huntress and for that he shall die."

"She will not listen to reason Eir. She is as arrogant as her family. Let her try and we shall strike her maidens down." The first Valkyrie said with venom.

Eir shook her head, "Let her ask her hunter. There is no reason for this to escalate." She said looking at the goddess expectantly.

Artemis remained glaring despite still being in shock that at the sight of the Norse maidens, a sight she thought she would never see.

She turned back to her hunters and laid eyes on the hunter mentioned.

"Zoë, did this boy not attack you?"

The hunter shook her head making the goddess' eyes widen before gesturing for more explanation.

Zoë nodded, "I got lost when I ran into a gang of mortals. I had no weapon to hurt them and they overwhelmed me before I could retreat." Zoë explained before she scowled, "They were going to rape me had he not helped." She said gesturing to the two dead bodies.

Artemis looked shocked before she turned back to the Valkyries who were all now glaring at her.

"How are you here? Your pantheon faded long ago. What business do you have around this _boy_ anyway?"

The first Valkyrie was about to speak when the third cut her off, "It is time Brynhildr. We will tell her and she can decide what she does next." She said before stepping off her steed and standing beside the boy. "I am Sigrún and this is Perseus. He is the final child of the Aesir, the son of Thor before he left Midgard and access between the realms was lost. The All-Father charged us with his protection after the death of his mortal mother as he has a great destiny to fulfill here on Midgard."

Artemis and the hunters all stared at the boy and immortal maidens in shock before Artemis notched another arrow.

"He will come to Olympus to see my father. He is too powerful to roam freely."

The first Valkyrie whispered something to Perseus who nodded as he held up his hand making Artemis confused.

Suddenly the sounds of trees and branches crashing drew the goddess' aim to the woods before she noticed a blur flying straight towards the boy. When her eyes landed back on him they went wide in disbelief.

"Impossible," she said stunned. "No demigod can wield a god's symbol of power." She said looking at the huge hammer in the demigod's hands.

Brynhildr laughed, "He is no normal demigod goddess. Leave now before he shows you the true power he wields."

Artemis growled, "No demigod can defeat me."

Brynhildr nodded to Perseus whose eyes danced with lightning.

"Do not doubt the son of Thor, chosen and blessed of the All-Father or your arrogance shall be the end of your handmaidens." Eir warned.

Artemis took aim at Perseus when thunder boomed louder than her father's overhead. Perseus raised the massive hammer to the sky before he pointed at the goddess as the biggest bolt of lightning she had seen in her immortal life came down and hit the ground five feet in front of her. The sheer size and power of the bolt blasted Artemis and her hunters off their feet.

Brynhildr laughed loudly, "Remember this day goddess. A day will come when you and your family will beg for his help and after today and your arrogance, your chances of getting it are lessened. The Norse make you Olympians look like children in power and this is the most powerful Norse demigod to ever live. Be thankful his father cannot get to Midgard or he would strike you down for this injustice himself."

Eir shook her head at the goddess before a portal opened behind the three Valkyries and Perseus as they stepped through, leaving a bunch of immortal teens and their mistress unsure of exactly what had just happened.

A.N: New story… This idea has been floating around in my head for weeks and I had to write it down. This is simply the prologue as I have a bunch of ideas. Sadly, they will not be seen for a while. My main focus is on Timeless Warrior and then Prince of Night. When one of those two are finished, I will return to this more. You may get random updates but don't expect anything regular.

Just so you know, this will not follow canon. Parts and scenes may be included but this is not Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This is different. Percy is a son of Thor, not a Greek at all although Sally Jackson was his mother. This is a whole different story in itself. I always wanted to write a story about the Norse ever since reading the Champion of Olympus series by TheseusLives so this is my attempt at it.

Now does it sound any good or should I scrap it and try again? This is simply a prologue. Just because Zoe and the hunters were mentioned already, it doesn't mean they will play any big role. Pairing isn't something that has even crossed my mind yet so don't ask. I simply used Zoe in the prologue because she's my favorite character so I like to use her.

Let me know what you think so I know if I should continue.


	2. A Quick Trip West

Ch. 2 (One Year Later)

Perseus made his way through the Oakland Hills, looking to find this second camp Eir had mentioned to him. His adoptive mothers insisted he get a look at the other demigod camp in America. He had already scouted out Camp Half-Blood in New York but this camp's defenses were proving far superior and more difficult to get through than their Greek counterparts.

He assumed defenses were at their peak for the moment, considering the Titans were beginning to gather their forces before the war broke out.

If only they knew what was really to come.

As he skirted around the area, he could feel the magical borders of the camp shielding the view of the camp from his sight. He was about to give up when he saw two people in Roman style armor outside the borders of the camp. They were taking off towards the woods and away from camp and the city. He quickened his pace as he began to trail the duo, wondering if perhaps he could find a way to get a look at the camp through them.

He kept a distance between himself and the duo as he followed them; they walked for a good hour making him wonder where exactly it was they were heading.

Perseus' eyes widened when he saw both demigods pulled out weapons and go back to back. He crept closer until he noticed a ragged looking man surrounded by a pack of large wolves. He seemed to be mocking the demigods who both looked pale.

Perseus shook his head; so much for staying inconspicuous.

The child of Asgard held up his hand as his massive hammer, the mighty weapon of the father he had never known, materialized in his hand; lightning flashed across his eyes as he felt the familiar power of Mjolnir in his hand. The weapon literally pulsed with a hidden power he could feel as he held it, a feeling he relished in. A mini bolt of lightning hit Perseus, covering his body in armor.

He looked back up to see one of the wolves skulking towards the demigods before he hurled the weapon towards the standoff. It flew with speed and crushed the tree next the wolves and sent it crashing causing the group of wolves to scatter to avoid it.

Mjolnir flew back into his hand as he continued walking towards the group as the wolves gathered around their leader who remained in his human form. He knew this must be Lycaon, King of the Werewolves. His adoptive mothers had forced him to learn all about the Greek and Roman mythologies so he knew what it was he would find in the world today. They warned him that the werewolf and his pack were known to frequent the area around the Roman demigod camp.

He stopped a few feet away from the demigods as his eyes stayed glued on the pack of werewolves.

"Be gone from this place beast! Your meal has been cancelled." Perseus growled.

Lycaon looked at him in confusion before he barred his fangs in a malicious grin.

"No, it appears it has just gotten larger. Come forth little demigod, if you dare."

Perseus raised Mjolnir to the sky as thunder boomed overhead. One of the demigods gasped but was ignored by Perseus as a bolt came down on one of the wolves as it stalked towards him. The beast was blasted to pieces before Perseus slid a bracelet off his wrist and a pure silver sword materialized in his hand, making the wolves halt for a second.

Perseus smirked, "Do the mutts not like my sword? I brought it just to show you in case we crossed paths."

"Who are you?" Lycaon roared.

Perseus narrowed his eyes, "I am the last child of Asgard, and I believe my patience with you and your monsters is running thin."

"Impossible," Lycaon growled. "No child like that has existed in millennia."

Perseus rolled his eyes, "Ugly and idiotic… Guess you got the shit end of the gene pool."

Lycaon's eyes widened before he stepped back, "Attack!" He yelled at his pack who stalked forward.

Perseus' blade crackled with electricity as he raised it in front of him, his eyes glazing over with the thought of the battle to come, a chance to honor Asgard - here in the realm of Midgard, a place they were all but forgotten.

The two Roman demigods came out of their shock and pulled out their own weapons. The girl held two silver hunting knives while the boy had an imperial gold gladius that was useless at the moment.

One of the wolves lunged at the girl but Perseus was fast, kicking the beast out of the air and sent it rolling to the ground before he spun and got knocked onto his back by another wolf. Before it could bite, a silver hunting knife was driven through its skull leaving a pile of golden dust on his chest.

He jumped to his feet as a small lightning bolt knocked another of the wolves to the ground. Perseus glanced back at the boy whose hand was still raised.

A son of Jupiter, terrific, he thought to himself.

He jumped forward and met a wolf attempting to lunge at him before he ducked, his sword running over the exposed monster's stomach as it dissolved in midair. The female demigod was holding on her own with her knives while the male continued trying to use lightning.

Perseus spun away from another wolf, tripping it as he did before pinning it down with a boot to the back before he drove his sword through its back.

He jumped back as his sword vanished and was replaced by his mighty hammer.

"You want lightning son of Jupiter? Then I shall show you the power of the thunderer in all of her glory." He said, raising Mjolnir before a huge bolt came down as blasted a trio of wolves back.

Lycaon watched his pack slowly diminish under the demigod's attack.

"Retreat!" He growled before locking eyes with Perseus. "You shall pay for this child of Asgard. You are alone in this world and I shall make sure your existence is a quick one."

Perseus hurled Mjolnir at the Werewolf King, blasting the tree next to him to pieces, making Lycaon yelp before he took off in retreat with his pack on his heels.

Before Perseus could turn around, he felt a sword pressed against his back.

"Who are you?" The male demigod questioned warily.

"Remove your sword unless you wish to truly fight me, son of Jupiter." Perseus said calmly before waiting. After a few seconds, the blade was removed. He turned around and came face to face with a confused boy around his age, fourteen. He had blonde hair and electric blue eyes.

Then his gaze shifted to the girl and he paused for a second. She was gorgeous. Tall with dark hair and dark, almost black eyes as she eyed him, trying to determine as much about him as she could. She was around his age as well and Perseus couldn't help but hope to get to know this demigod a little better.

"I am Perseus." He said simply. "What is your name, son of Jupiter? And that of the lady?"

The demigod looked at him oddly but answered anyway, "I am Jason Grace and this is my friend Reyna, daughter of Bellona."

Perseus nodded but did not reply as he kept his eyes on Reyna who was staring right back at him, something Jason was not thrilled about.

"Are you a son of Jupiter as well?" Jason asked slightly hopeful he had found a brother.

Perseus smiled wryly.

"No, I am not. I am Perseus, son of Thor, Norse God of Thunder, Lightning, the Sky and Law."

Jason and Reyna's eyes widened and their jaws dropped.

"The Norse gods are still around?" Reyna asked in disbelief.

Perseus frowned a bit, "No. They are in Asgard without access back into this realm. I am the only one of my kind in existence."

Reyna nodded, "You are alone?"

"I have a few that watch over me at the request of my grandfather but yes, I am alone." He replied quickly.

"And the gods know about you?" Jason asked.

Perseus narrowed his eyes, "No, they do not yet. What you do with this information is your choice but know that I have no love for your gods and I am here because you will all need me in the future. Dealing with your father or the other gods anytime soon does not make me want to help you or this world in which I no longer belong."

"Wait, what do you mean we'll need you? What are you talking about?" Jason asked quickly.

"Will we ever see you again?" Reyna asked.

Perseus smiled a bit. "Yes you will. I would not deprive myself of a chance to see such a beautiful woman again, daughter of Bellona."

Reyna's face turned an amusing shade of red as she blushed while Jason's turned red with fury.

Before either could respond, Perseus looked at Reyna and winked before a huge bolt of lightning came from the sky and hit Perseus causing both Roman demigods to look away from the blinding light. When the light vanished, Perseus was no longer there.

Jason turned to Reyna whose blush was slowly fading. "We need to tell Lupa and the Senate about this."

Reyna's eyes narrowed, "Why would we do that? He saved our lives and said if we told anyone that he met him, he would leave us helpless when we needed him. We will not be telling anyone about this." She said firmly.

"Why? Because he flirted with you? He could be a threat that gets us killed!" Jason growled.

Reyna's eyes flashed with anger. "I am your superior officer legionaire and this is an order. If he was a threat then why would he have saved us and then walked away without asking us for anything? He knows nothing about us, yet he saved us for no other reason than that he wanted to. We shall keep this to ourselves as repayment of that debt. Stop allowing your jealously to guide your decisions; you are a Roman, and a Roman honors his debts."

Jason narrowed his eyes but wisely did not argue.

"Fine. But I don't like him."

Reyna smirked a bit triumphantly. "That is your decision Grace, but remember my orders. I have a feeling he was not lying about us needing him one day and I have no wish to blow it for New Rome before we even have a chance to ask for his aide."

Line Break (Six Months Later)

Perseus raised his battle axe and blocked a sword strike before he spun and ducked under a spear. He slid on his knees a few feet to his left and delivered a hard fist to the ribs of one of his attackers who was sent reeling as he raised his axe behind his head to block another attack.

His block worked but he was rewarded with a hard foot to the back, sending him to his stomach.

"Stop holding back! Use your powers Perseus! We are immortal damn it!" His adoptive mother, Brynhildr, growled at him.

Perseus jumped to his feet as Mjolnir appeared in his hand. Sigrún stalked towards him with her sword out but her ribs were clearly still hurting as she seemed to favor them a bit.

Brynhildr lunged at him, when the winds sent her stumbling back a few feet. Perseus shot into the air as a bolt of lightning slammed into the Valkyrie and sent Brynhildr to the ground in a heap.

Perseus dropped to the ground again to check on her only to have the flat of a blade cracked upside his head, sending him to the ground as well.

Sigrún kicked him in the ribs and knocked him onto his back where she put the tip of her blade to his throat.

"What did we tell you about mercy? When we spar, we are your enemies. Show them mercy and they will run you through without a second thought. If you think she will show you any mercy, then you are truly a fool son of Thor."

Perseus smacked the blade away from his throat and stood up. He felt ashamed that he had failed to learn the lessons they were trying to teach him yet again.

Eir went over to Brynhildr and muttered a few words before the injured Valkyrie began to glow. When the light died, she stood up completely unharmed.

She looked over at Perseus with a small smile. "Better Perseus, but you need to learn the difference between how you act in battle and how you act outside of it."

Perseus nodded and put his head down.

The three Valkyries smiled at him even if he couldn't see it.

"Time for rest Perseus; you have a message waiting for you." Brynhildr said making him look up and raise an eyebrow.

"You will see." She replied casually.

Perseus nodded and turned to leave when the butt of a spear was slammed into the back of his head sending him to the ground unconscious.

The two other Valkyries looked at Brynhildr confused.

"What?" She said innocently. "He would take forever to fall asleep knowing he was going to be visited by the All-Father tonight."

Eir glared at her, "He didn't know that."

Brynhildr smirked, "True, but that lightning hurt like Hell! I needed a little vengeance."

Eir rolled her eyes in annoyance while Sigrún snickered a bit at her reasoning.

A.N: This is kind of like another prologue. Not much else to say other than next update will be for Timeless Warrior… When? When I get to it. Please stop asking when because it will be when I feel it.

**Recommendations: This time, you just get my top five favorite authors at the moment in no particular order. Go to their pages and read their stories. Show them some love. It will make me want to update quicker. **

**TheseusLives (Legend on Fan Fiction)**

**Blueper (Loves PM's from readers)**

**Sadie Breezy (Definition of awesome)**

**xDarion'sKeeperx (Starting writing again)**

**SharkAttack719 (Highly underappreciated fics)**


	3. Words of the All-Father

Ch. 3

The three Valkyries smiled at him even if he couldn't see it.

"Time for rest Perseus; you have a message waiting for you." Brynhildr said making him look up and raise an eyebrow.

"You will see." She replied casually.

Perseus nodded and turned to leave when the butt of a spear was slammed into the back of his head sending him to the ground unconscious.

The two other Valkyries looked at Brynhildr confused.

"What?" She said innocently. "He would take forever to fall asleep knowing he was going to be visited by the All-Father tonight."

Eir glared at her, "He didn't know that."

Brynhildr smirked, "True, but that lightning hurt like Hell! I needed a little vengeance."

Eir rolled her eyes in annoyance while Sigrún snickered a bit at her reasoning.

As the darkness consumed Perseus' consciousness he found himself in a grand hall. His head pounded as he remembered the cheap shot Brynhildr had given him when he turned around.

"I'll make sure she gets what she wants next time," he grumbled to himself. "She wants no mercy, she'll get it."

As he put a hand to his head, he heard a booming laugh around him making his eyes shoot open and quickly made him forget his whining. He looked up again at the grand hall he was in when he saw an older man sitting in a large throne.

Perseus paled slightly as he gazed upon the man, his mind making the connection quickly when he saw the older man in battle armor and a winged helmet. His lone eye informing Perseus of exactly whose presence he was in at the moment.

He composed himself and stood straight before walking over to the throne and bowing, trying act exactly as his mothers had advised him when in the presence of the All-Father.

Odin was silent for a minute while Perseus kept his eyes glued to the floor. The father of the gods watched his grandson carefully trying to size him up for the first time since the boy was a mere infant. He couldn't help but smile at the boy. He was only fourteen yet was well-muscled and already carried himself like a man. He looked like his father with the exception of the midnight black hair, a trait he received from the mortal mother who bore him.

"Rise my grandson." Odin said in a deep voice.

Perseus stood from his bow and slowly looked up and met the eye of his grandfather, waiting for him to speak. Perseus looked around the room only to find it empty, much to his dismay. He had hoped his father would have wanted to see him but apparently not.

Odin noticed the boy's wandering eyes and knew what he was thinking.

"Only by my command is your father not here. It is not time for you to meet him. You have a very long journey ahead of you last child of Asgard and before the end, you will know your father well."

Perseus was a bit disappointed but did not show it as he nodded to his grandfather.

"Do you know why it is your father gave you his most prized possession? The weapon he was not supposed to part with until his death in the Ragnarök." Odin asked.

Perseus raised an eyebrow but shook his head.

Odin smiled, "Because he wanted to my boy. Of all his children, you are his most favored, mortal and immortal alike. He knew the path you must travel and wanted you to have all the help you could. Despite the wishes and orders of the other gods, including myself, he left you Mjolnir before access between the realms was lost, the weapon becoming yours when he did it."

Perseus' eyes widened but he wasn't sure how to respond. He always thought his father was supposed to leave Mjolnir for him and now he wasn't sure what he should say.

Odin's smile grew a bit, "I must agree with his decision now. He has found a worthy heir to wield such a powerful weapon. I have watched you since your birth and seen your every accomplishment and failure. You are truly worthy to be the final child of Asgard and the one who shall make sure our name carries on through the millennia even if access to Midgard is never found again."

Perseus smiled slightly but kept his face as emotionless as he could.

"My lord, why is it that I am here?"

Odin nodded, "Yes, I was wondering when you were going to ask that. First off, you will call me Grandfather, not lord. And the reason I have summoned you is because it is time child."

Perseus was shocked but waited for the All-Father to continue.

"On Midgard, things have been put in motion that cannot be undone. The Greeks believe they know what is to come but they have no idea. They are blind to the whispering in the ears of their enemies. Soon, the threat will grow tenfold and they shall be crushed before they fully realize what is happening." Odin explained carefully.

Perseus nodded but was a bit confused as well, "Grandfather, why is it that we care? They are Greeks and their problems are their own. Why was I given the responsibility to help them? They are arrogant and not nearly as powerful as they believe themselves to be. Why would we help them when it is their own arrogance that shall be their downfall?"

Odin's expression turned into a slight frown before it quickly shifted to a serious one.

"You have been tasked to help them because you can. And because they need you. You know who will join their enemies and their only chance will ride with you. I have seen what is to come and the difficult challenges you must face but you are not helping the Greeks to help the gods. You are helping the Greeks to protect the mortals and the demigods who will not be able to defend themselves. Your father is god of justice and without him on Midgard, the responsibility falls to you to protect those who cannot protect themselves. You have been given this task because it is the right thing to do. Because it is the duty of the son and heir of Thor."

Perseus listened carefully before nodding his head, "I will do as you wish grandfather."

Odin smiled as he raised a hand. A blue blast of energy erupted from it and slammed into Perseus' chest, knocking him onto his back. He climbed back to his feet slowly as looked at Odin confused.

Odin smirked a bit, "A gift to help guide you along your path. A little sight can go a long way, my grandson."

Perseus' eyes widened before images began to flash through his mind. He put his hands on his head as the images raced through his mind. When the assault finally faded he looked up again.

Odin cut him off, "You know what you must do. The visions will come when you need them. You know what you must do. This will be your final act before the rest of the Greeks learn of your existence. You will know what to do when the time comes."

Before Perseus could respond, Odin flicked his finger as Perseus' form began to flicker. He looked back up his Grandfather one last time to find him smiling again.

"Make us proud Grandson. You are the legacy of Asgard. Remind the world what it lost when it lost the Norse gods."

Perseus awoke in his bed, this three adoptive mothers all sitting in different chairs around his room. Eir and Brynhildr had fallen asleep while Sigrún was awake, yet not looking at him.

He only opened one eye before he slowly raised a hand. Sigrún noticed the movement but not before a small stream of electricity shot from his hand and hit Brynhildr, making her hair rise as she shot up too quickly, losing her balance as her chair tipped over and she crashed onto her back.

The commotion had woken Eir from her slumber while Sigrún roared with laughter.

Brynhildr shot to her feet, the look in her eyes was absolutely murderous.

"I'm so sorry milady, I was trying to follow your lessons about no mercy. I guess the blow to my head left me confused. I thought we were still sparing." Perseus said innocently.

Brynhildr's eyes widened as she stepped forward before stopping and smirking a bit, "Alright, I suppose I had that coming. You just wait until next spar Perseus. I shall show you the true meaning of regret."

Perseus smiled, "I am looking forward to it." He said before becoming serious, "I must leave. I have a mission given by the All-Father and it requires my immediate attention."

The three Valkyries became serious and nodded. Perseus explained the conversation he and Odin had and where it was he was going. When he finished, the three immortal women looked at him proudly but a bit of uneasiness was visible in their faces as well.

"We will be watching you Perseus, through it all. We will come to you if you need us." Brynhildr explained seriously while the other two nodded their heads in agreement.

Perseus smiled at them as Mjolnir appeared in his hand. A portal opened in front of the wall of the room as Perseus stood. He chanted something quietly in the language of the Norse as his armor appeared on his body. He took a step towards the portal but stopped.

"Just in case, you three are the mothers I never had." Perseus said quietly before he took two steps forward and jumped into the portal.

The three immortals watched the portal vanish with him, small smiles on their faces at his words before their expressions turned concerned and Eir waved her hand, an image appearing in front of them as they watched the boy they raised since he was an infant come out of the portal and make his way towards the beginning of his destiny.

Line Break

A demigod and two huntresses were locked in battle they had little hopes of winning. The two huntresses were trying to battle a Titan while a daughter of Zeus battled another demigod and a blonde haired girl was bound next to them. The goddess Artemis struggled under the weight of the sky as she watched her hunters and half-sister helplessly.

Luke and Thalia went back and forth while Thalia slowly pushed him back, her skills just a bit superior to his as she forced him back towards the cliff.

Phoebe tried to stand toe to toe with the Titan Atlas while Zoë stood on a ledge a few feet back firing arrows as fast as she could at her father as he pushed her sister back while she struggled to keep up. Phoebe jumped aside from a javelin thrust and tried to go on the offensive but Atlas was too quick as his foot came up and hit her into the chest, knocking her onto her back. He raised his javelin to finish her.

Zoë jumped down from her ledge to stand between the two when she was knocked out of the midair and sent crashing to the ground. A massive hammer was swung with a mighty uppercut that caught the Titan into the stomach and sent his flying back.

Perseus stood in front of Phoebe whose eyes were wide. Zoë stood up enraged but froze when she saw a familiar figure standing in front of her sister.

Perseus glanced over at her and smirked, "You seem to have a particular knack for trouble, don't you huntress?"

Zoë glared at him as she glanced at her father who was still on the ground regaining his bearings.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice without the usual harshness that came when speaking to males.

Perseus smiled, "Saving your life of course. That was the moment in which you received a fatal strike. You would have died. I thought I might lend a hand, maybe save your life."

Zoë's jaw dropped, "How do you know that?"

Perseus watched the Titan climb to his feet and shook his head, "I will explain later. Right now, you and your fellow huntress need to find a way to free your mistress. I cannot defeat this Titan alone."

Zoë paled as her father stalked towards Perseus. She ran to Phoebe and pulled the still stunned huntress to her feet.

Atlas stopped a few feet away from Perseus, "Who are you?" He growled.

Perseus smirked a bit but in response he only raised Mjolnir as lightning danced across his eyes, "I do not answer to Titans. You want a fight, come get it. I shall show you the true power of a thunder god."

Atlas roared and charged, thrusting and stabbing as Perseus ducked, dodged and weaved away from the Titan's attacks. He waited as Atlas' rage grew until he overextended on an attack as Perseus spun away and dropped down low, swinging Mjolnir at the back of his knee and knocking Atlas onto his back.

Perseus raised Mjolnir up before slamming to down only to have Atlas roll to the side as Mjolnir hit the floor, cracking the marble under the power of the strike.

Perseus turned as the butt of Atlas' javelin caught him in the nose, breaking it as blood began to pour freely. He stumbled back and barely sidestepped to avoid being impaled.

Atlas swung his javelin at Perseus only to have the strike blocked by two hunting knives as the goddess Artemis stood in front of Perseus.

"No you shall pay for putting me under the sky." She growled before kicking Atlas back before she attacked in a flurry of strikes. The two went back and forth for a minute as Perseus waited for his chance to jump in.

Artemis kicked the Titan back as he stumbled towards Perseus. Perseus glanced at the two girls holding the sky and grinned.

He stepped aside letting Atlas stumble a bit past him as got ready, Mjolnir crackled with electricity before it was swung with tremendous power, catching the Titan in the chest and sending him flying back towards the two girls.

Atlas crashed into the girls, knocking them out from under the burden as the sky crashed down onto his back.

Perseus turned towards Artemis before looking past her where his eyes widened.

Thalia had Luke backed up to the edge of the cliff with her spear at his throat.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you?" She growled as a few tears fell from her eyes.

Luke was pale, "Thalia…. Please."

Annabeth, who was now free, looked at Thalia pleadingly.

"We'll take him back to camp Thals. We can fix this."

Thalia paused for a second as she looked at Luke. Her eyes moved to Annabeth, giving Luke the chance he needed. He smacked the spear away from his throat and thrust his sword at Thalia. The sword broke the skin on her stomach before it stopped moving forward. A massive hammer flew through the air, catching Luke in the chest and sending him flying backwards off the edge of the cliff.

Thalia dropped to the ground in pain while Annabeth cried out for Luke.

Perseus held up his hand as Mjolnir flew back into his hand. Annabeth turned to him with murder in her eyes.

"You killed him! You bastard!"

Perseus remained calm as the daughter of Athena walked towards him.

"Perhaps but I saved the other one. We all make choices and we must live with those choices. He chose his side and I have chosen mine. I decided the girl's life was more valuable than his. Perhaps you disagree but I could really care less."

Annabeth's eyes widened as she pulled out a dagger and sprinted at him. Before she could reach him, Artemis stepped forward and smacked the dagger out of her hand.

"I understand your pain young one but this boy is correct. He just saved Thalia's life. Perhaps you should thank him or maybe have a little more concern for your bleeding friend over there."

Annabeth froze as she turned back to Thalia who was climbing to her feet, the front of her shirt stained with blood. The cut was deep but not at all fatal.

Annabeth ran towards her but Thalia ignored her and walked towards Perseus.

"Thank you. You saved my life back there."

Perseus nodded and held his hand in front of Thalia's stomach as he chanted something too quietly for her to hear. The wound glowed a bit before it closed itself up. Thalia's jaw dropped as she felt her healed wound. Before she could thank him, he turned to Artemis who was watching him closely.

"Why are you here?" Artemis asked stoically.

"Your huntress was going to die. She will be needed in the times to come. I am also still here because you did not mention me to the other gods when we met before. I thought you deserved to be the one who brought me to Olympus. It is time for the other gods to learn of my existence." Perseus replied back calmly.

Artemis' eyes widened before she nodded. She snapped her fingers as everyone in the group vanished and reappeared outside the Garden of the Hesperides. Everyone except Perseus that is.

Artemis looked around before she scowled thinking the boy had lied to her. Before she could curse, a bolt of lightning hit the ground beside her as Perseus appeared.

"Greek gods can only teleport me if I allow it. I prefer to travel on my own accord." He said before she could ask.

Artemis looked at him warily, "Are you going to let me bring you to Olympus?"

Perseus nodded, "I would prefer not to teleport though. It is unsettling for me."

Artemis raised an eyebrow before nodding. She pulled out a hunting horn and blew on it. A minute later, her chariot being pulled by two stags descended from the sky.

"We will travel by chariot. You did not run and you saved my huntress again so I will honor your request."

Perseus nodded as the chariot landed beside them. He glanced over at the group of demigods and hunters. Annabeth still looked furious while Phoebe just looked confused more than anything. Zoë and Thalia looked grateful he saved their lives. He gave them a nod before hopping inside the chariot.

Artemis looked at the group, "I must make haste to the Winter Solstice meeting. I will send other transport for you as quickly as I can. You must come to Olympus as quickly as possible."

The girls all nodded as Perseus and Artemis shot into the sky on their way to Olympus for Perseus' first meeting with the council of the Olympian Gods.

A.N: I know I said I'd update Timeless Warrior next but I have been very busy this week and I already knew what I wanted to do with this chapter so it was much easier to write. I will try to get an update done by this weekend for Timeless Warrior but my schedule is still very busy for the rest of this week.

Now let me know what you thought, next chapter ought to be interesting. This chapter was not big on the battle because it simply was not important. There will be many more detailed and longer battle scenes when the story gets going… be patient. I also didn't have time to edit this closely... I will go back to it tomorrow when I have more time and fix any errors.


	4. Meeting the Greeks

Ch. 4

As Perseus rode through the sky in the moon chariot, he couldn't help but chuckle as he thought he must have been the first male to ever set foot inside this thing.

Artemis was watching the boy closely. She couldn't deny that she was curious about him and his apparent lack of fear at the situation he was about to walk into.

"Why are you not afraid?"

Perseus looked back over at her and shrugged, "What difference does it make if I am afraid or not. This day was destined to happen regardless and I will not do so like a coward."

Artemis nodded to his reasoning as she looked at him closely again. Despite how much she hated doing it, she did not think herself above mortals as much as her family.

"I owe you an apology for our first encounter. You protected my huntress when you could have simply walked away and I assumed you were the one who attacked her. I am sorry for that."

Perseus raised an eyebrow but shook it off and nodded, "Apology accepted. It probably did not look good when you came upon us."

The goddess smiled a bit that he did not hold it against her. She decided to ask some questions that had been bugging her since their first encounter as well as some fresh ones from the night's events.

"How is it that you are here? Didn't the Norse gods fade long ago?"

Perseus shook his head, "No they did not fade. In my world, there are nine realms and this is simply one of them. Access to Midgard, or earth, was lost long ago. My father found a way back but it was only temporary. He met my mother and spent a few years with her but was forced by the All-Father to return to Asgard before access was lost and he was stuck here. He wanted to take me with him but Odin told him I have destiny to fulfill here on Midgard. Despite the protests of the other gods, he left me Mjolnir to help me in my life."

Artemis was shocked but his words. Her family never cared for their children the way it sounded like Thor cared for his son.

"And the Valkyries?" She asked.

Perseus smiled a bit, "A gift from the All-Father. My mother died shortly after my birth and they raised me. They have cared for and loved me my whole life as well as trained me since the time I could walk. Odin asked for three volunteers to remain on Midgard as my guardians and those three offered immediately."

Artemis nodded, "And why were you in the park that night when you saved Zoë?

"I was training. I was looking for any surviving monsters from your battle earlier. I just happened to come across those men when they had her captured. When I saw what they were about to do, I had to intervene. I was raised by maidens so I was raised to treat women with respect. They are lucky I was trying to remain anonymous at that point." He replied.

Artemis gave him a small smile, "Thank you. She is my closest friend."

Perseus gave her a nod back but didn't reply. He knew she had more questions.

"And tonight? How did you end up on Othrys and save Zoë again?"

"Earlier I had a conversation in my dreams with the All-Father. He said my time to be revealed to the Greeks had come and gave me the gift of sight. I can see the future and the visions are much clearer than your brother's oracle. I saw the battle and Zoë falling. She was going to die and you were going to put her in the stars to honor her sacrifice. What the oracle does not see is the whole picture. The threat you face is much worse than you know. An old enemy is whispering in the ear of the Titans. Zoë is a skilled huntress and will be needed in the war to come. I saved her because I could." Perseus explained seriously.

He glanced over at the goddess to see a lone tear falling down her face. His eyes widened but he wasn't sure what to do so he just remained silent.

Artemis wiped away her tear and looked at the Norse demigod gratefully, "Thank you."

Perseus nodded and looked up as he saw the lights of New York coming into view in front of them.

"What is this threat you speak of?" Artemis asked as they approached the city and gained altitude, heading up into the clouds.

Perseus shook his head, "I cannot say. Names have power and I will not speak her name until the threat is realized. My people are doing what they can to slow her but she is the only one who still has access to Midgard. Should she come, then we will be fighting for the survival of this world. She will unleash the equivalent of your Tartarus onto this world. And both Greek and Roman demigods will not be enough to stop her."

Artemis paled a bit as they came up onto the eternal city of the gods. Perseus couldn't deny the city was beautiful but he still felt wrong being here. He should be with his people, not these Greeks. The goddess stopped her chariot in a courtyard outside what Perseus guessed was the throne room of the Olympians.

They both exited the chariot as Perseus looked to the goddess to lead the way. She led them to the throne room doors but paused.

"It would be best if you acted respectful. My father is quite… well arrogant to tell you the truth. He may see you as a threat and may try to kill you." Artemis warned.

Perseus already knew this but smiled at the warning, "Thank you Lady Artemis. I appreciate the heads up."

The goddess nodded and pushed open the throne room doors. The council was already in session but all discussion stopped when their eyes landed on Artemis and her male companion. He followed Artemis before stopping in the middle of the throne room. Each and every Olympian looked at him confused while Artemis made her way to her throne. Once she was seated, Zeus looked at her confused.

"Daughter, who is this boy and why does he not bow before us?"

Artemis glanced at Perseus who looked like he had no intention of bowing before Zeus or the rest of the council.

"His name is Perseus. He saved the lives of both my lieutenant and Thalia on Mount Othrys tonight. He is also the reason I am here right now. Without him, I would still be stuck under the sky. I will allow him to tell his story though, I just ask that you hear him out father." Artemis explained.

Zeus turned back to the demigod with a slightly less angry expression.

"Tell us your story boy. Who is your godly parent?"

Perseus nodded, "I am not a Greek."

The Olympians minus Artemis all looked shocked by this. A few shimmered into their Roman aspects and tried to get a look at the boy, wondering if he was one of theirs. Perseus continued before anyone could ask.

"My name is Perseus, son a mortal named Sally Jackson and the Norse God of Thunder, Thor."

The room was silent. Every single god and goddess looked at him in shock. Their looks of shock soon shifted into looks of disbelief before they all began speaking at once.

Zeus slammed his master bolt down, silencing the room before he looked back at Perseus with suspicion.

"That is not possible. The Norse gods faded long ago. You dare lie to us boy?"

Perseus remained calm before a holographic hammer that looked just like Mjolnir appeared over his head making Zeus' eyes go wide.

"Why are you here then?" Zeus growled now trying to size the boy up to see what kind of threat he could be.

Perseus glanced at Artemis, "I came to help Artemis' hunters and the other demigods in their battle against the Titan. Artemis demanded that I come to Olympus and who am I to argue with the word of a goddess?"

The goddess of the moon's eyes widened a bit. She didn't expect him to lie for her but was grateful she didn't have to explain anything further.

"Why did you help them? And how did you know they were there?" Athena asked a bit suspiciously.

Perseus grinned, "A gift from my grandfather. His visions are much clearer than Apollo's and I saw Artemis' huntress dying. I intervened and now she is alive."

Apollo looked mildly offended but kept his mouth shut, instead just watching the unknown demigod to see what else he had to say.

"How is it that you're even alive? The Norse gods are gone!" Zeus demanded.

Perseus shook his head, "No they are not. They simply lost access to Midgard, or Earth, and now reside in the realm of Asgard. I am alone on this planet. My father found a way back but it was only temporary. He was forced to leave me here."

Zeus looked a bit relieved the Norse gods could not come back to Earth but was still unsure if Perseus spoke the truth.

"How do we know you tell the truth? Any half-bit minor god could have conjured up that emblem to make us think you were claimed."

Perseus smirked and held up out his hand as Mjolnir appeared in his hand making most of the room gasp.

"Since he was forced to leave me on Midgard, my father gave me his most prized weapon, Mjolnir, the most powerful weapon in this room." He said with a hint of smugness in his voice.

The Olympians were speechless. Silence enveloped the room for a moment before Zeus stood up with his master bolt in hand.

"No demigod can wield the weapon of a god. Turn over that weapon boy or feel my wrath!" He bellowed.

Perseus raised an eyebrow before he shrugged. He tossed Mjolnir on the ground a few feet in front of him.

"You want it, here you go."

Zeus' eyes widened before a hungry look appeared in his eyes. He stood from his throne smiling smugly and walked over to the weapon. He reached down to pick it up but as he tried to lift it, it slipped from his grasp. He reached down and grasped the weapon more tightly and lifted.

He couldn't move the weapon an inch.

He tried using both hands and lifting with all his strength. His face turned red with effort but the weapon didn't budge an inch. After a full minute, the King of the Gods turned to Perseus enraged.

"What is this trickery!" He snarled.

Perseus forced himself not to smirk.

"No trickery Zeus. I swear it on the Styx." He said as thunder boomed overhead and Poseidon and Hades, who was there for the Winter Solstice meeting, began laughing at their brother's failure.

"Then why can't I pick it up?" Zeus bellowed.

Perseus shrugged and looked around the room. He saw a small childlike goddess, she looked close to his age, maybe a little younger, passing out cups of nectar to the gods.

"Excuse me my lady, Hebe, is it?" He asked.

Hebe looked shocked he spoke to her. She slowly nodded her head. He smiled at her.

"Please do a demigod one favor my lady. Could you go try and pick up my hammer? Your father is having trouble with it." Perseus asked kindly.

Zeus' faced turned red with anger and embarassment while Hebe looked unsure of what to do. She looked at her mother who glanced at Perseus and then nodded for her to try.

Hebe slowly made her way up to the massive hammer, unsure of how exactly she was supposed to pick up a weapon that her father could not pick up. When she stopped in front of it, she looked at her father nervously. He nodded for her to try, curious as to why the Norse spawn asked her to do it.

Hebe reached down and grabbed the weapon. She pulled up and was shocked to find it was surprisingly light. She picked the weapon up as thunder boomed overhead. A few gods jumped while Perseus smirked a bit.

"Give it to me girl." Zeus demanded.

Hebe handed the weapon to her father but the minute it left her hand, it fell from Zeus' grasp slamming into the ground and cracking the marble.

Zeus growled to himself and reached down to pick it up again when it suddenly flew back into Perseus' hand and vanished from sight.

"What was that?" Poseidon asked before Zeus could start to rant.

Perseus smiled, "The weapon was given to me as my inheritance. It is mine and no one else's'."

Poseidon raised an eyebrow, "Then why could Hebe pick it up?"

Persues' smile grew, "Because it recognizes those who would try to steal it and those pure of heart. It knew Hebe had no intention of using it for herself so it allowed her to pick it up. She could have wielded it as well until I summoned it back to me. Zeus wants to for himself so no matter what he will never be able to pick it up."

Poseidon nodded in understanding while Zeus' anger continued to grow.

"Enough. You are too much of a threat with such a powerful weapon. If we can't take it from you, then I shall kill you. Norse do not belong in this world anymore anyway." Zeus bellowed as he raised his master bolt.

A few gods looked upset by this but none spoke up. Artemis seemed most upset by this but even she didn't speak up against her father.

"Any last words boy?" Zeus spat.

Perseus nodded with a smirk, "Yeah, bring on the lightning."

Zeus' eyes narrowed before he hurled his master bolt at Perseus. The bolt struck him in the chest but to everyone's utter shock, he wasn't blasted back. Instead, he stumbled back a step and then his eyes snapped open, they literally pulsed with electricity.

The Olympians were all dumbfounded before Perseus started to laugh.

"You arrogant fool. You think you can hurt a son of lightning with lightning? That was simply an energy boost. If you had half a brain, you would have sent Poseidon or Hades after me."

Zeus looked at Perseus in shock before he turned to Poseidon, "Kill this boy."

Before Poseidon could respond either way, Athena stood up.

"Wait. This demigod is here for a reason. I doubt he let himself be captured just to point out his immunity to lightning. Let us first figure out why he is here."

The rest of the Olympians murmured their agreement before Zeus could speak up again. He grudgingly nodded as he sat back down in his throne eyeing Perseus warily.

Perseus nodded his thanks to Athena, "I am here to warn you of a threat. A new enemy has been whispering in the ear of the Titans. There is a goddess from my pantheon, the only one with access to Midgard who will soon return to this world. If I had to guess, she will join the Titans for this war. Should you lose, she will destroy the Titans and take control of Midgard for herself. My father was forced to leave me here because the All-Father Lord Odin had seen this event in his visions. He said I had a great destiny to fulfill here on Earth and it has to do with this new threat. I am here because I wish to join you in the upcoming war."

The council looked nervous at the mention of a new threat.

"Who is this new enemy?" Apollo asked.

Perseus shook his head, "Names have power. I will not speak her name until she enters this world. I am sure Athena can figure it out. She is like the Hades of my pantheon except she is evil. Angry because she was abandoned and sent to her realm by her father, my uncle Loki."

Athena looked thoughtful for a moment before her eyes widened, "Hel?"

Thunder boomed overhead. Everyone looked at Zeus who looked shocked. Then they looked at Perseus who looked furious.

"Do not speak her name." He growled. "Names have power and she will release the worst monsters in Norse mythology on this world."

"Why have we not heard of this yet? It must be because of your existence boy." Zeus spat.

Perseus' eyes flashed with anger, "My destiny was to be the difference in this war. I guess you do not wish for my help. Fine. I have a feeling the Titans will be far more grateful for my help." He snarled.

Zeus glared at the demigod, "So you are our enemy. Ares, kill this boy."

Ares jumped out of his throne, "How do you want it kid? Modern or old fashioned?"

Before he could wait for an answer, Mjolnir appeared in Perseus' hands. He didn't hesitate to hurl the weapon at Ares. It collided with the war god's chest and sent him flying into the wall of the throne room.

Mjolnir flew back into Perseus' hand, thunder booming far louder than Zeus' overhead as Perseus looked at the King of the Gods enraged.

"I came here to be your ally. You obviously have no wish to accept my help. So be it. Remember this day as the day you drove me to the Titans. It shall mark the start of the downfall of Olympus. Your arrogance blinds you fools. To Hell with all of you then!" Perseus bellowed.

A number of Olympians jumped to their feet but a huge bolt of lightning struck, blasting apart the roof of the throne room and struck Perseus. When it vanished, Perseus was gone.

When the fragments of the ceiling finally stopped falling, the throne room erupted into chaos. Every single god began yelling, most directed at Zeus while Aphrodite was trying to get Apollo to heal an injured Ares.

Zeus shot a massive bolt of lightning to silence the room.

"Enough! That boy is but a single demigod! He is not of concern."

Artemis stood up, her face enraged, "He is the most powerful demigod I have ever met. Far more powerful than any demigod of yours, father. I fear you have sealed our fate with your arrogance. He helped me defeat the Titan Atlas and is the only reason I am free from the sky and Zoe and Thalia are alive."

Zeus glared at his daughter, "You will hunt this boy and eliminate the threat before this war begins."

Artemis' eyes widened before they narrowed, "No, I will not. I will hunt him only to try to help convince him to forgive you for your actions. He is a decent man who saved Zoe's life twice."

Zeus' face turned red, "You will do as I say!"

Artemis shook her head, "No I will not. Do as you please but I will not help hunt this demigod." She said before flashing out.

Zeus stared at her throne in shock. She had never defied him like that before. He looked at the rest of the council who looked furious.

"What shall we do about this demigod? We need to eliminate him before he becomes a threat."

Poseidon shook his head, "He came here to help us. Your arrogance truly knows no bounds. Good luck, I will not help hunt this demigod simply because he took offense to you trying to kill him. Perhaps someone can convince him to help us again. If they do, I swear on the Styx I will dethrone you if you lay one finger on him again." He said before dissolving into a sea breeze.

Zeus looked to the rest of the council as they all flashed out one by one until only Hera remained.

She looked at her husband in disgust, "You're an idiot." She said before flashing out.

Zeus sat back down in his throne in disbelief, finally realizing how big of a mistake he may have just made.

A.N: Another chapter down. Good news… Almost done with the next chapter of Timeless Warrior. It will be updated Sunday.


	5. Off to see the Romans!

_**Ch. 5**_

Olympus was silent.

At least, it seemed that way to the demigods. But if you were a resident of the everlasting city, then you would see that it was actually in a state of alarm. The events of the Winter Solstice meeting had sent the Olympians into prewar mode. They had known that the Titan threat had been coming, but now they had a new menace to worry about.

This was a threat from a whole different pantheon and one that the Greek gods had little knowledge of. There were the myths of the Norse gods. But for the most part, their threats seemed to have been fought by the thunder god, Thor, in the myths.

His son and heir had showed up on their doorstep and offered his help as an ally against the growing threat when he could have just ignored it.

Their response?

They tried to eradicate him and had driven him away, most likely to the opponent, adding yet another powerful foe to their ever-increasing number of enemies.

Things were peachy, thanks for asking.

For months, the gods searched for the demigod whom had introduced himself as Perseus. The hunt had forgone all other missions and focused on the one and only task of finding him. No matter what they tried, they found no trace of the demigod. Olympus as a whole had assumed he had stayed true to his warning and joined the Titan Army, a fact that led to the majority of the Olympians to turn on Zeus, and the brazen bastard had tried to claim the boy had been a traitor from the start and that they didn't need the help of an impertinent little demigod when they have "such a powerful King" he had affirmed haughtily, while the rest of the council knew that it had been most likely Zeus whom had driven the demigod to their enemy with his arrogance.

**-x- **

On the other side of the country, a boy with brown hair and obscure russet eyes sauntered through the woods. His new facade was courtesy of his adoptive mothers but his location was of his own choosing.

He stumbled through the woods as if he was exhausted and fatigued. He could feel multiple pairs of cold dark eyes on him as he went, but he played along knowing he couldn't give away his keen senses.

Finally, he stopped as he reached an old broken down mansion. Parts of it looked burnt while others seemed in different stages of decay. He stepped inside the building as leaned against one of the walls, continuing his act in trying to show his weariness and trepidation.

It only took about five minutes before a lone wolf stalked through the doorway. He acted shocked and scared and picked up a stick and held it up in front of him protectively.

The wolf stalked ever closer, creeping its way toward him in a ready to pounce position.

Without a single warning, the wolf lunged at him.

He kept up his act but he also made sure that he didn't show weakness or spinelessness. As the wolf was upon him, his sixth sense took over. He ducked low before rolling to the side. He jumped to his feet as the wolf recovered and snapped at him, only to be met with a solid whack upside the head.

The beast growled and lunged again. This time, he didn't hold back as much, ducking low before cracking the beat across the exposed stomach, snapping the stick in two.

The wolf whimpered as it stumbled back somewhat. Soon, a half dozen more wolves joined it as they all stayed crouched seemingly ready to attack any second.

Perseus looked down at his stick before looking back at the half-dozen animals in front of him, then he looked back down at his stick, then the wolves once again. "Oh, screw this! Come at me." He growled ready for a fight.

Instead (much to his disappointment), a wolf that was larger than the rest came into the room, examining the demigod intently.

"What is your name, child?" A voice spoke in his mind.

His eyes widened slightly as he eyed the largest wolf warily. Then he proceeded to curse himself mentally for not thinking of a new pseudonym. Perseus was a painfully obvious Greek name giving away his true name would certainly not sit well with a camp full of Romans.

"Jack," he answered straightforwardly and he surprised himself when the name rolled off of his lips so easily.

The wolf continued eyeing him closely for a moment before it spoke again.

"How did you end up here?"

"A woman appeared in my dreams and told me to come here, where I would find the place where I belonged." He answered just as he had planned out with his adoptive mothers.

The wolf studied for a moment (which technically means that he was under the cold scrutinized gaze of the wolf for a whole ninety seconds and he certainly did not feel uncomfortable, not at all, nope) looking for some kind of tell that would give a sign of treachery. When it found none, it spoke again.

"West, boy. Head west. If you are strong enough, you will find your destination, it will call to you."

Perseus nodded before he gave in to the urge to mess with the wolf goddess a bit, just to let her know he was not afraid of her.

"West? That's it? How about a specific address? Maybe you could give me one of those portable GPS devices; you know, to make it a bit less tough and less of a pain in the ass, yeah?"

The wolf goddess, Lupa, looked appalled by his response before a low growl began to come from her. One that was soon echoed by the rest of her pack.

Perseus forced himself not to smirk and held up his hands. "Oh, calm down, it was just a suggestion… West it is. I'll just be going now, heh."

The growls grew louder before Perseus skirted around the wolves and out of the Wolf House, almost cheerfully, on his journey to find a destination he already knew the location of. He figured he'd be watched, meaning more acting like a clueless demigod. Mental groan. Maybe he could make his journey more enjoyable by… nah, he wasn't much of a singing kind of guy and he wasn't really going to see a wizard; just a camp full of armed Roman demigods that would not hesitate to attack him as a whole if he made one wrong move or said something that he was not supposed to. So, yeah, off to see the Romans! Oh the joy.

He was not scared, he could say that much.

**-x- **

Turns out, it took him a day and a half.

A day and a half of wandering in the general direction of San Francisco but making sure to act confused and making a number to detours in the wrong direction.

He had guessed correct. Every few hours he would see flashes of brown of gray, clear signs of the pack that was trying to trail him unnoticed. He could tell he had caught the eye of the wolf goddess, Lupa. She had likely gotten a whiff of his scent and started wondering exactly who his godly parent was. Gods forbid that she had pegged him as a son of Jupiter. Mental shudder and indignant "hey!".

He slowly approached the borders of Camp Jupiter. Lupa had been right. It had seemingly called to him as he neared it, like an unseen force recognizing him as a demigod and luring him closer.

Before he could move any closer, two guards in Roman style armor apparently emerged out of nowhere, both with weapons out as they approached him.

"Halt, identify yourself!" One of the guards shouted at him.

Perseus raised his hands up as the guards came and stood in front of him. Both leveled spears at his chest as they waited for him to answer.

"Um, my name is Jack. Some wolf told me to head west. This is where I ended up."

The two demigods exchanged a look before they relaxed just somewhat.

"Come with us. We're bringing you to Cassie and David."

Perseus raised an eyebrow but decided against asking questions as he waited for the two demigods to lead him into camp to take him to their… leaders. He followed them a few steps before he stopped in a bit of shock. An entire city had materialized in front of him as soon as he crossed some kind of magical border.

It looked like a mini replica of the "Eternal City" as many referred to Rome as. At least the city he had seen in pictures as when he studied up on the Romans and their ways before coming to California.

"Impressive, huh?" One of the guards asked.

Perseus slowly nodded his head, "Yes… It really is." He answered honestly, not saying what he was thinking; which was that the Romans had a far more remarkable camp than the Greeks.

"Let's move, we need to get back on patrol." A guard ordered and they started walking once again.

Perseus followed, taking in the city and camp before him as they walked. He could see a replica of the Coliseum in Rome and couldn't help but think that was pretty cool, it even had the whole sun roof to keep the spectators in the shade. He may not be a big fan of Greece or Rome but given a choice of the two, Rome was more his style, hands down. He just hoped that the Romans had toilet paper. He had to hold back a shudder when he remembered reading _that _fun fact.

After the short walk, the two guards came to a stop in front of a building which had a phallic symbol over the door (and Perseus almost burst out laughing despite knowing what the symbol mean. He briefly wondered if some Romans still wore miniature phalluses as charms or if that had been put behind in Ancient Rome). One knocked and waited for permission before they led Perseus inside where he came across two very familiar faces among the five people being addressed by two demigods who wore purple capes, the apparent praetors of camp. He eyed the woman with the toga and bit his tongue to keep his words in. He didn't think that the female praetor would appreciate it if he pointed out that only prostitutes wore togas in the Ancient times, well, aside from men. Oh, the irony.

Yeah, he needed to watch his words.

"Who is this?" One of the praetors asked gesturing to Perseus as all eyes suddenly turned to the three new occupants of the room.

"We found him on the boundaries of camp, Praetors. He comes from the Wolf House. Lupa sent him to us," one of the guards answered dutifully.

The two praetors eyed Perseus carefully, trying to size him up. "What's your name kid? And do you know your godly parent?" The male praetor asked.

Perseus nodded slowly trying not to smirk at what their responses would be.

"My name is Jack." He said before a slight pause. "I'm a son of Venus."

He could see the displeasure in the praetor's eyes as all eyes turned to Jason, whom all of a sudden looked dejected.

"Looks like you've got a new member for your group of misfits, Grace", one of the occupants in the room said with mock sympathy, while most of the rest chuckled a tad.

Perseus' eyes drifted to Reyna, who was the only one not laughing. She was merely looking at Jason with sympathy.

"I don't get it, what's so funny?" Perseus asked naively enough.

A burly looking kid laughed, "We thought you might have been a nifty member of the legion. It seems that, instead, we have a new member of the fashion squad here at camp."

Perseus raised an eyebrow, "Why? Because my mother is the goddess of love, you don't think I can engage in battle?"

The hefty kid laughed harder. "You children of Venus are only good for looking pretty around camp."

Perseus unexpectedly smiled impishly. "Oh, you think I'm pretty. Well, a big handsome stud like you wouldn't mind showing me around camp, now would you?" He said in feminine voice as his smile grew. "What do you say big boy? You want to show me the ropes?" He finished stepping closer to the kid who had frozen on the spot.

Suddenly, the burly kid's eyes flashed with fury and he made to shove Perseus away. Perseus smacked his hands away and delivered a solid punch to the kid's stomach, dropping him to the ground as he struggled to breathe.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear, did I hurt you?" Perseus asked in a sickly sweet tone.

The kid jumped to his feet and drew a gladius. "You're going to pay for that, kid."

Perseus stepped back and looked at Reyna, "Care to loan me your weapon for a minute?"

Reyna looked taken aback by the whole situation, but pulled out her gladius and tossed it to him. He caught it by the hilt then looked at the praetors.

"Consent to defend myself?"

The female praetor nodded slowly, "Go ahead, if you think you can."

Perseus grinned, "I think I'll do just fine thank you."

The burly kid wasted no time as the occupants of the room created a circle for the two combatants. He charged, trying to impale him quickly.

Perseus spun to the side but move with lightning speed, slashing a gash across the demigod's thigh making him cry out in pain.

"Oh no, I think I broke a nail." Perseus mocked looking at his fingers and disregarded his combatant as he recovered. His face was red with rage at the lack of respect he was getting from the newbie demigod. The other occupants of the room were trying to contain their laughter at the way the newbie was toying with one of their centurions.

He slashed wildly but Perseus met every strike with his own blade as sparks flew. The larger boy tried to overpower him but found he couldn't. They locked blades as the Roman tried to push forward but Perseus held firm, their faces only inches apart.

"Perhaps you could be a good fighter but your egotism is too large. You simply assume because of my parentage that I am weak. That is your mistake and that is why you lose." Perseus said in a rather tranquil tone.

The centurion pushed against Perseus' blade with all of his strength that he could muster up, but couldn't budge him an inch, "I haven't lost punk."

Perseus smirked as he twisted his wrist, breaking the blades apart as the centurion stumbled a bit only to be met with a fist to the face that dropped him flat onto his back. Perseus stepped on his hand that held the blade and then put the tip of his gladius to the demigod's throat.

"Now you've lost. You would be wise to not judge me before you know me."

"That's enough!" The female praetor said firmly.

Perseus bowed his head slightly and stepped back.

The female praetor looked at the centurion on the ground. "Go gather your cohort. Bring them to the coliseum in an hour. We are going to test Jack here and find him a cohort of his own."

The centurion stood up while glaring harshly at 'Jack' before he walked out of the room with a hand on his still bleeding leg.

Perseus turned to Reyna and held out her weapon for her to take. "Thank you, that was very much appreciated." He said with smile on his face.

Reyna looked at him still in a bit of shock as she took the blade back from him. He stared at her for a second before turning to the two praetors.

"So, what's this test you mentioned?"

The male praetor straightened a bit.

"Each cohort will choose one of its members. You must fight your way through them, one at a time, until you lose. At the end, whatever cohorts are willing to take you, you will choose from."

Perseus nodded, inquisitive at what these Romans had for fighters. The centurion was too easy, his anger clouded his judgment. Apparently, he was a homophobe (or just so deep in the closet that he could go all the way to Narnia - the fictional Narnia, not the one in Italy) but it was too fun not to mess with him.

"So what do I do until then? Wait here?"

The female praetor shook her head, "No. By the way, I'm Cassie and that is David. We're the praetors of the legion. Do well in your test and you'll be joining the legion. Perhaps centurion Reyna or Jason will give you a tour of the city before your test."

The praetor looked at said two centurions. Reyna opened her mouth to reply but Jason beat her to the chase. "I'll give him the tour, let him know how things work in New Rome and in the legion."

Reyna scowled, she had wanted to speak to the new demigod.

Perseus grinned, "Well then, shall we centurion?"

A.N: I have to give most of the credit to Sadie Breezy for this chapter… I wrote it in a less than stellar state of mind. She edited it for me and made it much, much better. She's kind of a bitch but you should go take a look at her stories, they're rather good. I won't tell you to fuck off if you don't, a few people thought I was serious, which I wasn't. Well, I was about looking at her fics but not… nevermind, I meant it, it's easier that way.

Now let me know what you thought, good or bad.


	6. I'm Gonna Make You My Bitch

Ch. 6

"So Jack, how is it you found your way to the Wolf House anyway? Did your father send you there or what?" Jason questioned in an attempt to break the ice with this atypical half-blood.

Perseus shook his head, "It was my mother who told me to go to the Wolf House. My father has never really been around. He left me with some relatives who raised me, until now."

Jason nodded slowly. "So, how old are you? Around fifteen or so?"

Perseus nodded. "Yeah. I guess my mother thought it was time for me to come to camp, not that those monsters were much of an issue when I was growing up, really." In the dark tone that he spoke those words, made Jason shift slightly, but then chose to ignore it.

"Yeah, they probably didn't bother you much. Children of Venus usually don't have that strong of a demigod scent." Jason agreed and Perseus seriously wanted to smack the condescension from his flaxen head; but he held himself back. At least he wasn't as bad as his father. Plus, it didn't exactly sound like an insult towards him (even though he wasn't even a child of Venus - but he made a good one, eh?).

Perseus chuckled flippantly and controlled himself. "That's not what I meant by my statement, but hey, whatever rocks your socks."

Jason raised an eyebrow but decided to not respond to that.

"Did you know that people with blue eyes are mutants?"

Well, that came out of nowhere. "I'm sorry, what?"

Perseus turned to look at Jason with an impassive expression plastered on his face. "What?"

"What?"

"What?"

"What did you say?" Jason asked in bewilderment - he had no idea why Jack had just told him that. Was he poking fun at him? All of the sudden, he became very self-conscious about his eyes, which was pretty damn ridiculous because he was acting like a frickin' _girl. _

"I don't know; what _did _I say, hm?" Oh, yes, so this newbie was making fun of him. He, frankly, did not know how to respond to that, so he chose to push his confusion away and continued to make light banter with Jack as he showed him around New Rome, yet he couldn't shake the irksome feeling he had met this kid before, but knew that if he had met this specific demigod, that he would have surely remembered - probably have it seared in his brain eternally, with that cynical and impish attitude.

Soon, it was nearing the time for his test, and Jason began to lead him towards the coliseum.

"If you want, I'll send out a weaker demigod to battle with you. It might help to make a good impression with the legion if you win a fight to start off. Most half-bloods suffer defeat in the first round, so making it past my cohort would be a good way to start off."

Perseus nodded as a small smile played on his lips, "I would prefer if you sent your best. If I'm going to make a good impression, I'd rather it be against the best you've got."

Jason lingered on Jack's words. "Well, that would be me," he said carefully, "but Centurions just about never chose themselves for the combats."

Perseus shrugged. "Well that's a shame, and I really wouldn't have minded smacking around that kid from earlier again."

Jason laughed a bit, "I think you caught him off guard. He's centurion from the second cohort. No one's made it to the second cohort since Reyna's test; I made it to the third in my test. Maybe if you get lucky, you'll make it to the third opponent. If you do, maybe I can make you my second in command. My other centurion is leaving the legion in a bit and you may be the ideal replacement as long as you put on a respectable showing in the coliseum."

Perseus listened to Jason's advice and almost felt a little bad for being a dick when they initially had encountered. "Thanks. I appreciate the words of encouragement. Let's get to the arena; I'm itching to get into the test."

Jason smiled but he still gazed at 'Jack' a little strangely, "You're different than any child of Venus I've ever met."

Perseus smirked as he flexed his fingers - they were just so eager to wrap themselves around a weapon and whoop some Roman ass. "Trust me centurion, I'm full of surprises."

Jason did not doubt that for a second.

-x-

Perseus stood in the archway of the entrance to the coliseum, getting ready for his test. He held a gladius and Roman style shield in each hand. They had been given to him by toga-wearer-but-not-a-prostitute-Praetor Cassie, who was staring at him a bit _too_ much for his tastes, bearing in mind that this wasn't even his actual appearance (it was probably his ass. He does have a rather nice rear, if he did say so himself). He attempted to mentally prepare himself for the fights. He wanted to put on a good show, but he had to be sure not to demonstrate just how well trained he truly was.

And he had to make sure not to get enraged. Yeah, angry Percy was not a good Percy, and it would, without doubt, give away his parentage… to some extent. Thunder tended to rumble when that happened and the last thing he wanted was another face to face with Zeus, or Jupiter, or whoever the egotistical prick showed up as. He would surely throw a fit and Percy wasn't really in the frame of mind to handle the whinny bitch. He had a test to pass.

He heard his name called and that's when he made his way out into the center of the arena. The coliseum was packed full of legionnaires, all buzzing with exhilaration over the fights about to take place. He could see a few demigods collecting money.

They were doubtlessly wagers about how long he would last. He held back a rather unattractive snort. He had plans to make sure no one was right.

He received the signal from one of the legionnaires down in the arena level and made his way out to the heart of the arena. He felt peculiarly invigorated by the mix of cheers and boos he was receiving.

Most of those boos were coming from a certain group in the stands; the second cohort, he guessed dryly.

The two Praetors rose and silenced the crowd by raising their hands. The Romans knew a thing or two about respect; Perseus had to give them that.

"We have a new recruit for the legion!" Cassie yelled loud enough for all to hear her. "Our new recruit's name is Jack, a son of Venus."

A chorus of mirth and jeers erupted from the greater part of the crowd. A large number of them tried to alter their bets with the smirking bookies that looked like they had just struck gold.

Perseus found himself strangely aggravated by this. He may have not really been a child of Venus, but suddenly felt the desire to defend his phony mother's honor along with that of his faux siblings.

"First up, from cohort five, Marcus, son of Mars!" David yelled, to which the crowd erupted into deafening ovation.

Perseus took a quick look at Jason and saw a gaze that said, 'this is what you asked for'.

A stocky demigod made his way out of the other end of the coliseum. He heedlessly held a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. He only wore fractional armor, like this wasn't worth putting all his gear on.

Perseus would acquire so much pleasure in teaching him just how idiotic his decision had been. Wait that sounded dirty.

The demigod stopped ten feet away and looked at Perseus with a self-righteous smirk curling onto his lips.

"Don't fret, pretty boy, I'll go easy on you. I really wouldn't want my dad to get livid for thrashing up one of his girlfriend's daughters."

Perseus bristled a bit before he panicked mentally.

He was going native already.

"The rules are simple: fight until surrender or incapacitation. Killing is not permitted." Cassie said before looking at Perseus to see if he was ready. When he nodded, she smiled, "Begin!"

Marcus strolled over heedlessly while Perseus remained rooted to his spot.

"You're not really going to try and fight me, are you? We all know children of Venus can't fight, so I'll play along for a minute before I knock you off your feet. Okay kid?" The demigod said casually before yawning to show his lack of interest for the fight.

Perseus leisurely tilted his head to the left, his neck cracking loudly as he did. He did the same to the right side before he dropped his shield.

"I'm really going to take pleasure in kicking your ass." Perseus growled before he charged at the arrogant half-blood.

Marcus seemed taken aback by his speed as he struggled to defend himself from the flurry of strikes that Perseus unleashed. He was unremitting, giving the demigod no chance to convalesce.

He feinted a strike to the head and when Marcus brought up his shield to defend, was when Perseus changed directions and struck to the left. Marcus brought up his blade to block.

'Jack' suddenly spun to his left, slipped before the demigod before swinging his gladius like a baseball bat and cracking the legionnaire upside the head with the flat of his blade.

Marcus stumbled frontward and fell to his knees as he dropped his shield and put his hand to head while he tried to stop the ringing as his brain felt like it was rattling inside his skull.

Perseus didn't give him a break and swung his gladius at his head, a strike Marcus scarcely blocked with his own blade. He had no chance to stop the kick that hit him square in the sternum and sent him onto his back.

Perseus pounced forward and kicked the sword out of his hand.

The coliseum was in a stunned silence.

Perseus looked all over the place, his eyes tapering in exasperation with the attitude of these Romans. They were so quick to judge others based on their line of blood. He would continue to teach them on why it isn't so wise to judge books by their covers.

He tossed his gladius to the ground and glared at the demigod expectantly. "Come on! Tell me that isn't it? Let's go. Son of Mars versus son of Venus."

Marcus climbed to his feet in a state of 'what-the-holy-fucking-hell-just-happened' kind of disbelief.

"Come on tough guy, I'm not even trying yet! You're a disgrace to Rome if you have given up already. You're such a coward." Perseus sneered unsympathetically.

He got the reaction he was looking for.

Marcus charged at him in an enraged state. He threw a heavy punch right at Perseus' face.

He stood there and took it.

With a smile on his face.

A _fucking _smile on his face.

A fucking _smug _smile on his face.

Marcus looked at him shocked as Perseus turned back toward him after the punch. His lips were split but a grin crept onto his face. Not a normal grin, though. It was the grin of a psychopath who couldn't have had anything better happen to him before he got punched in his face.

"I guess you sons of Mars are a little frail in the wrists. I swear, a bug just landed on my face or something."

Marcus' eyes widened before he threw another punch.

This time Perseus ducked and tripped the son of Mars as the missed haymaker made him stumble forward. As he tried to climb back to his feet, he was met with a boot to the face that sent him to the ground in a comatose heap.

Perseus looked at him for a minute to make sure he was out cold before he walked over and stood with one foot on his chest as he turned grinning to the silent crowd.

"We're going to need a medic. I think I might have broken a bit of his pride." He bellowed to the still unmoving crowd. "But my nails are fine, thanks for asking," he mockingly said, then a grin spread onto his face, "Can the newbie get a little applause or should I kick him in the face again?"

The stunned Romans suddenly erupted into cheers for the show they just witnessed. After a minute, Cassie stood and raised her hand to silence the crowd.

"Jack is the winner. Medics, bring Marcus to the infirmary. Next, we have Alex, son of Mercury."

A slender boy with blonde hair and blue eyes walked out of the other end of the arena. He held a gladius and shield in hand as he waited for Perseus to retrieve his weapons.

Once they were both ready and stood about ten feet apart, David gave the signal to begin.

Alex was smarter than the preceding opponent as he slowly circled Perseus looking to an opening to attack. After a moment, he thought he saw one as he rushed forward. His speed was remarkable and it took Perseus a minute to adjust after the thick and shoddy son of Mars he had just trounced.

He soon got a feel for his speedy opponent's style as he waited for his opening.

He saw it and sprang into offense. He pushed the son of Mercury on the defensive but held back, a bit not wishing to show off how experienced he really was.

The two went back and forth, Alex's aggravation continued to grow as he failed to land a blow. Perseus stumbled a bit after a missed jab as the speedy demigod tried to run him through. He barely dodged the blade but now had the quick opponent right where he wanted him.

He slammed his shield into the legionnaire's chest before he hooked his leg behind his and threw a hard shoulder into him, knocking Alex onto his back.

Before he could recover Perseus put his gladius to his throat.

"Yield?"

Alex scowled but nodded, "I yield."

Perseus removed his blade and offered his hand which Alex took gratefully.

"Jack wins again!" Cassie yelled from her seat once the cheering stopped. "Next, we have Jennifer, daughter of Apollo from cohort three."

A slender looking girl walked out next. A bow was strapped her back and she stopped further away than his other opponents as Perseus guessed what her tactic would be.

David gave the signal to begin and Jennifer wasn't indecisive as she pulled out her bow. She quickly notched an arrow and fired. Perseus dove away, taking cover behind his shield as he tried to make himself as small as possible.

He waited, arrows occasionally bouncing off the shield as he did. He could tell by the _clang _they made that Jennifer was stalking closer. He didn't dare look as he had no wish for an arrow to catch him in the face when he did. How else would he continue to identify as a son of Venus, if not for his pretty face? He really did not want to be _that _guy.

He was a little anxious he was going to lose. She would be on him any second and he wouldn't be able to recover in time. A risky plan crossed his mind. He waited as another arrow bounced off his shield.

She was close.

He focused as a rumble of thunder sounded. He jumped out from behind his shield to find her looking at the sky. He slammed the hilt of his gladius into the hand that held her bow making it clatter to the ground. He put his blade to her throat before she could react.

"You got so lucky, pretty boy." Jennifer growled.

Perseus grinned, "Sorry but you got to take what they give you. And thank you, I do look good, don't I? Regrettably, you won't be getting lucky from me tonight. Maybe some other time, sweetheart." And he winked charmingly. Oh dear gods, he was actually behaving like a child of Venus. That was a good sign, right? _Right?! _

Jennifer glared at him, but a slight tinge of pink appeared on her cheeks.

"I yield," she growled.

Perseus stepped back and lowered his blade as she stalked away from him; clearly still pissed she had let herself get diverted.

"Another victory for Jack!" David announced. "Next, we have Rory, son of Mars and centurion of the second!"

A familiar looking burly demigod stalked out to the arena. The look on his face promised pain while Perseus could not help but grin broadly at the sight.

"I knew you liked me," he teased. "I have to say, you're starting to grow on me, good lookin'. Don't worry, we can get together later. We're gonna have a good time."

Rory didn't even wait for the command to begin. He charged straight a Perseus, who ducked under a wild slash. He jumped back to avoid being impaled as Rory recovered and continued pressing his attack.

Perseus jumped and danced around, avoiding every attack but never raising his sword or shield as he watched with glee as Rory became more and more infuriated.

"Hold still and take your beating, coward!" Rory snarled.

_That is like an ass talking about ears_, Perseus thought dryly. Perseus ducked under another badly aimed attack and slipped behind Rory giving him a pat on the ass as he went by.

"You must work out. You have a _really _nice ass." He said with a girlish giggle as he backed away.

"I'll murder you! I will fucking murder you, you fag!" Rory snarled as Perseus' grin vanished.

Rory brought down his sword in an overhand strike that was met with another gladius. Perseus pushed back and lunged forward tapping the demigod on the foot with his blade. When Rory looked down, he was met with a hard uppercut that sent him reeling back.

"That wasn't very nice Rory. I'm starting to think you're trying to overcompensate. Perhaps some innermost desires that you're trying to push away?"

Rory lunged again, trying to tackle Perseus this time but the Norse demigod dropped down low as Rory stumbled into him. The Roman flipped over his back and hit the rough dirt arena floor with a loud thud.

Perseus spun around and put his gladius not to Rory's throat but instead right up against his little centurions.

"Now is that hidden weapon in there or are you just happy to see me?" he mocked before his voice turned dark and dangerous. "Just be relieved I'm not gay or I would have cut it off. Now do you yield or shall I make my first attempt at battlefield amputations?"

Rory's eyes widened in horror.

"I yield! I yield!"

Perseus grinned and pushed the blade tighter again his groin. "Now let's see if you can keep that potty mouth of yours shut, or I won't be so lenient next time."

Cassie stood up and forced herself to stop laughing. "Jack wins again! Now for the final opponent; the only other recruit to make it the first cohort in her test, Reyna, daughter of Bellona!"

Perseus looked up to see Reyna making her way down from the stands. It was clear this was a late minute verdict on her part. He eyed her carefully. She was skilled and the look on her face said she had no plans of be beaten in this fight.

She stopped a few yards away from him, her jaw was set and eyes narrowed at him.

Perseus on the other hand was still relaxed. There was something this Roman demigod he liked. Sure, she was striking, but it something else that caught his eye. The way she carried herself, as if she didn't have a doubt in the world that she was about to kick his ass despite the way he just ran through the first four opponents in the test.

Without warning, the praetor gave the signal to begin.

Reyna lunged at him, her gladius coming down in a powerful arc aimed at his chest. He parried her strike and attacked himself. His carefree demeanor shown earlier long gone as the two went back and forth, a shower of sparks rained down around the two combatants, their blades barely more than blurs as they tried to break through the other's defenses.

This continued on for a full minute and half until Reyna blocked an attack and backtracked, gaining a little breathing room between her and the 'son of Venus'.

She waited for him to attack.

The minute he did, she stepped forward, her blade digging a few inches into the dirt before her foot followed, connecting with the blade and sending a mess of dirt into his face.

Perseus cursed as he backpedaled quickly. He could hear her armor as she moved forward to attack. He went with a perilous move and stopped backtracking as he surged right at her, his head down as he speared her to the ground.

He rolled off before she could recuperate and put a little distance between him and the Roman demigoddess.

Reyna hopped to her feet but stopped when she saw his vision was now clear and the look in his eyes promised pain. "That was cheap but effective. Don't expect something like that to work again." He growled at her.

Reyna narrowed her eyes and charged. Their blades locked before Reyna's fist quickly followed.

He turned his head but not before it caught him in the corner of his eye and opened up a small cut that began a trail of blood down his face.

He stumbled back a bit, a look of shock on his face before it became more impressed than anything.

Reyna made to charge again when Perseus launched his shield at her knees making her jump over it. Before her feet could find the earth again, he was on her, his fist nailing her in the chest plate and knocking her flat on her back, the air knocked from her lungs.

Perseus tried to put his blade to her throat but she swatted it away and slashed his leg dropping him to a knee. She jumped to her feet as he did the same. The circled each other slowly before both charged again.

Their blades locked together as they pushed against each other, their faces only inches apart.

Then Perseus did the last thing anyone anticipated; he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips.

Reyna's eyes widened but before she could act in response, his leg hooked behind hers as he pushed her to the ground. He jumped on her wrist pinning her blade to the ground as he leveled his weapon at her throat.

"Yield?" He asked tiredly.

Reyna looked murderous as she slowly nodded as he stepped back. She jumped to her feet and

got right in his face.

"You're lucky I don't kill you for that." She growled.

To her astonishment, he simply smirked, "No. You're lucky you're not dead now. You let yourself get distracted. Don't like it? Tough. You lost."

Reyna glared at him as the praetors stepped onto the arena floor and made their way over to them.

David looked shocked while Cassie was grinning a bit. "Now we have our second recruit to make it through all five rounds of the fight! Jack…" Cassie trailed off and looked at 'Jack'.

Perseus broke his gaze from Reyna and gave the praetors a small smile. "Jack Vidar."

"Jack Vidar, son of Venus!" echoed Cassie; David raised his hand to silence the crowd.

"I need centurions from all five cohorts down here right now so that we can find Jack here a cohort of his own, though I can guess where he'll be going."

The other four centurions made their way down and lined up beside Reyna.

"Now we will find Jack here a cohort." Cassie began as she looked at the centurions. "Since he made his way through all five tests, I assume he will be welcomed in by any cohort, correct?" She asked looking directly at Reyna who was still glaring daggers at Perseus.

"Yes, I think I could find some use for this legionnaire." Reyna answered frigidly as the praetors and centurions all looked to Perseus.

He smirked a bit, "Well, while a little S&M sounds like a great time, and Centurion Reyna, believe me, it _does._ I think I would prefer to join Centurion Jason in the fifth."

The centurions and praetors all looked shocked.

"What! Why would you want to join those misfits?" Rory yelled at him.

Perseus smiled slyly, "Relax, I can tell you have a thing for me and all but I was just messing with you, I don't swing that way. And you should watch your words because if Jason accepts me, then you're insulting my cohort. Would you like to go for a third round?"

Rory's face turned red with rage. He tried to step forward but Reyna and the centurion from the third held him in place.

Cassie glared at the centurion, "You will calm down. No one is going to listen to you whine simply because he humiliated you twice now. Be silent for the repercussions will be harsh."

David cleared his throat and looked at Jason, "Will you accept Jack into your cohort?"

Jason straightened and grinned, "We would be honored to welcome him in. I would like a word with you two praetors afterward, if you don't mind."

The two praetors exchanged a look and nodded, "Very well. We can speak shortly. Jack will be welcomed officially into the legion tonight in the Senate House. Bring your cohorts back to your barracks before heading to the mess hall for dinner." David ordered.

The centurions all nodded and began to leave. As she walked by, Reyna looked at Perseus with a slight glare, "I want a word with you, before dinner." He wanted to tease her and ask her what _kind _of speaking they would do, but he figured she was pissed enough as it was.

Perseus smiled, "Your wish is my command, my lady."

Reyna rolled her eyes and walked away as Jason went off with David and Cassie led Perseus back towards the fifth to meet the members of his cohort.

-x-

Okay… this will be called editor's note… or is it beta? Beta is a quaint word; if you say it over and over again, the word doesn't sound real anymore and loses its meaning. Anyway, I have something to say to you all little fucks that keep irritating… it sounds awkward to say Anaklumos14 instead of his name. Ugh, anyway… getting a little sidetracked here. FOR THOSE OF YOU, WHO KEEP ANNOYING THE FUCK OUT OF HIM, LEAVE HIM THE FUCK ALONE.

OKAY, SO HE TELLS ME THAT YOU FUCKS KEEP COMPLAINING AND _TELLING _HIM WHAT STORY TO UPDATE NEXT. UM, excuse the fuck out of you, but he is _not _your little bitch. He's my bitch… okay, I'm jesting about the last part. Anyways, he really does not give two shits about what you think so you're just wasting your fucking time. Can't you all just be fucking appreciative? God_damn. _

In conclusion, it's not up to _you _to choose which story he updates. I mean, he frickin updates more rapidly than the majority of authors, am I right? Of course I am. I'm always right. Yeah, stop exasperating him, you infuriating paperclips. That's _my _duty.

Ah, well, bye :)

A.N: I was going to write something similar but she is much funnier than me. Don't get all pissy either, stop telling me what to update. It's getting old.

And this chapter sucked before she edited it, so if you like it, compliment her, not me. She's a bitch but she's my favorite bitch. So no getting pissed she said what I told her to say. She only did so funnier than I would have.


	7. Wooing With Sarcasm

Ch. 7

Well, any hopes for a warm welcoming into the fifth cohort were shot away as Perseus was introduced by Praetor Cassie and met with a combination of baffled and awestruck looks from the members of his cohort. After a few convivial introductions, Jason returned to lead the group back to their barracks before heading to the mess hall.

As they made their way, Perseus noticed a plump looking Asian kid sneaking fleeting looks at him as they walked.

"Take a picture Kung-Fu Panda, it'll last longer."

The legionnaire's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to reply but no words escapes his lips. Perseus grinned cockily, "Don't worry, that reaction is typical. People, they tend to be in awe when the look at me for the first time."

The demigod's face reddened in mortification as he continued to fail to find his voice.

Perseus gave him a somewhat gentle punch in the arm. "Jeez kid, relax. I was only joking. What's your name?"

The kid blinked a couple times and then cleared his throat, "Frank. My name is Frank Zhang."

Perseus grinned and held out his hand, "Jack Vidar, son of Venus, it's good to meet you Frank. Frank, huh? Frankly, I like the name, Frank." He muttered as he cursed himself for not picking Frank. Frank sounded like a good name, a more badass name than Jack… he could have had _so _many opportunities for puns. Oh, how he loves puns.

Frank looked at the demigod with a baffled expression at how abruptly he got diverted by the mention of a name before he shook his hand, "Yeah, that was, uh, quite a show you put on in the coliseum there."

Perseus chuckled. "That? That was nothing. Well, until Reyna. Damn, that girl can pack a punch." Frank laughed a bit, "Enjoy it while you can. She's going to kill you for kissing her."

Perseus smiled slyly, "Maybe, but it was worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Frank shook his head at Jack's happy-go-lucky attitude. He had a feeling it would come back and bite him in the ass soon enough. The moment that thought crossed his mind, Frank looked up to see Reyna waiting at the entrance of the mess hall, her eyes already locked on 'Jack' as he heedlessly strolled alongside Frank.

Frank tried to give him a sly elbow to get his attention but his inept attempt missed as he stumbled gawkily into him drawing looks from a number of the surrounding legionnaires.

Frank leaned over to 'Jack' anyway, "You should try to make a quick exit. Reyna looks like she's out for blood."

Perseus looked up and, to Frank's horror; the smug bastard began to grin broadly.

"Just the beautiful Centurion I was hoping to see. I'll catch you inside, Frank." He said, giving the demigod a reassuring pat on the back as he stepped away from his cohort and stopped a couple yards in front of the narrow eyed demigoddess.

Reyna waited until the rest of the cohort made their way inside before she took a step towards Perseus. "How dare you kiss me in front of the entire legion and in the middle of the battle?" She hissed vehemently.

Percy raised an eyebrow, "What? I thought it was a good strategy. Besides, I mean we were only inches apart when I figured it was a good time to make my move."

Reyna's hand went to her dagger but she stopped and took a couple deep, calming breaths. "Who are you? You don't act like any child of Venus I've ever met. You don't even act like a Roman! That was a crucial test and you spent half of it making jokes and insulting your fellow legionnaires!" She said through clenched teeth to hold back her screams of fury.

His face became more serious as he narrowed his eyes at the girl in front of him. "That is where you are wrong, Centurion Reyna. I was being quite serious during the test. The moment the words 'son of Venus' left my mouth, I was tagged as an insignificant recruit, or 'a new recruit for the fashion police'. I humiliated those legionnaires because they needed to be shown their place. Did I do the same with you or the fighters from cohorts three and four? No, I did not. What I did, I did for a specific reason. You all think you can judge me before you know me? I took great pleasure in showing you quite how foolish those actions were." He finished firmly with his fists balled and his jaw clenched.

Reyna looked a little taken aback by his tone. She had never seen him act humorless since she first laid eyes on him. "Fine, I suppose I can see your reasoning. Care to tell me why you turned down my cohort and chose the fifth, the cohort known to be the weakest in the legion?" She asked in a less incensed tone.

Percy opened his mouth to answer when Reyna held up her hand to stop him. She narrowed her eyes and stalked to the doorway to the mess hall before she reached around the door frame and dragged a wide-eyed Frank Zhang by the collar.

"You better have a damn good excuse for eavesdropping on our _private _conversation Zhang." Reyna growled with vehemence in her dark eyes.

Frank went pallid and he looked over to 'Jack' for help. Perseus gave him an encouraging nod.

Frank turned back to Reyna fretfully, "I'll be honest with you, -" Frank was interrupted abruptly by an irritated Perseus. "Man, you had your chance and you missed it! I thought I knew you Zhang… I don't even know who you are anymore!" Jack said sadly and wiped away a fake tear.

Both Frank and Reyna turned to look at him in perplexity. "I'm sorry, what?" Frank asked.

"Instead of saying: "I'll be honest", you could have said: "I'll be FRANK with you. You had the chance and you missed it!"

Reyna looked appalled while Frank looked lost for words. "And this is important, why?" She asked.

Perseus raised an eyebrow, "Important? His name is Frank!"

Frank blinked and smiled dryly looking back at the Centurion. "I'll be FRANK with you," he said, putting a special emphasis on _'frank'_, to which Perseus nodded very thrilled. "Yeah, too late. The effect is just not there, you feel me?" … Apparently not thrilled enough.

Frank and Reyna both blinked in disbelief.

"Return to the mess hall, Zhang." Reyna muttered darkly.

The chubby teen did not need to be told twice as he spun on his heel and made a beeline for his cohort's table.

Reyna glared at the 'son of Venus'. "I thought you said you were serious! You can't stop making jokes!"

'Jack' chuckled to himself and shook his head. "Wrong again Reyna. I like that kid. He's the only one in my cohort who has spoken to me without looking at me like I'm a menace or a freak. You were going to chew him out so I simply deflected your anger to me." He explained, "and c'mon, that would be funny, right?"

Reyna opened her mouth but stopped. She had just let this newbie demigod play her. She was torn between embarrassment and rage. "I… I don't like you. You infuriate me legionnaire!" She stammered.

"Are you saddened that I held back in our fight? I'm sorry, I tried to make not perceptible." He replied back calmly.

Reyna's eyes shot wide open, "You did not hold back! I would have known."

Perseus feigned a remorseful look, "Oh! I mean, obviously you're right. I was only kidding. Seriously, that was my best, I swear on it. Word of a Roman," he unsuccessfully tried to hold back a smirk.

Reyna's face turned bright red. "A rematch! Tomorrow! I demand a rematch!" She growled at him.

Perseus gave her a sly smile, "A rematch? Why? I already won. There is no real incentive for me to grant you this rematch Centurion. If that's all, I'm quite late for my meal and all that acting in the coliseum really brewed up my appetite." He said turning to walk into the mess hall.

Reyna grabbed his shoulder and spun him back towards her, "I am your superior officer and I am ordering you to fight me again!"

Perseus smirked, "Hmm, well you make it really tempting but still, I'll pass."

Reyna narrowed her eyes, "What do you want then?"

The grin threatened to split his face. He tilted his head to the side and feigned to be in deep thought. "I want a proper tour of the city and camp, from you and you _alone. _I'll be in the coliseum at dawn. After that, my tour. And some breakfast in the city. We'll call it our first date."

Reyna's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to argue when he spun on his heel and stepped towards the mess hall. He spoke before she could. "I'll be in there at dawn. I'll assume you decided to concede victory if you're not there. Have a good evening, Centurion." He said as he stepped into the mess hall and vanished from sight.

Reyna stood there, mouth agape. No one had ever spoken to her like that. Everyone feared and respected her within camp. Now this new demigod acts like he could care less that she was Centurion of the first cohort. She was livid. She was beyond enraged. But a very small part of her was fascinated. He was different than anyone she had met and despite how much she hated admitting it, she was interested to know more about the demigod. Something about him was different and for some reason she could shake the feeling that it was in a good way.

She shook her head and walked into the mess hall for dinner, interested to see what his initiation tonight and their morning tomorrow would entail.

-x-

Jason walked beside Perseus with a scowl on his face. They had just gone back and forth for almost an hour before Jason was forced to give in, regardless of being his centurion; 'Jack' was the most stubborn demigod he had met in his life. He was evidently immune to all methods of persuasion including direct orders and pleading.

So you may be asking yourself, _what the Pluto were they even arguing about? _

Wearing a gods' forsaken toga.

They were on their way to the Senate House for his initiation into the legion and the stubborn bastard downright repudiated to put on the proper attire for the meeting.

"You're going to look like an idiot in front of the Senate." Jason reminded him as they walked.

"Coming from the guy wearing a bed sheet at the moment? No offense bro, but I don't think you're in the proper attire to tell anyone _they're_ going to look like an idiot." Percy replied with a slight smirk.

"You're a Roman damn it! This is what we wear to meetings of the government." Jason snapped.

'Jack' smiled, "Listen dude, I love Rome. I love being a Roman. But I'm _not _putting on a bedsheet and walking around in public. I'll wear my armor and be damn proud of it."

Jason rolled his eyes as they walked into the Senate Building.

Percy drew a lot of inquisitive looks but he just smiled charmingly and stupidly as he made his way to his seat beside Jason in the first row.

Cassie stood up once Percy and Jason were seated as the senators fell into stillness.

"Fellow Romans, we are here today to initiate Jack Vidar, son of Venus, into the legion. After his test in the coliseum earlier today, Centurion Jason has made an unprecedented request, and one that I have decided to support along with my counterpart, Praetor David."

The senator looked towards the first row. All had heard about Jack's shocking display, making it through all five competitors including the Centurions from the first and second cohort.

"Since Centurion Gwen is retiring to attend college in the city, there is an opening in the position of Centurion in the fifth cohort and Jason Grace has requested that Jack Vidar is to take Gwen's place as his second in command." Cassie proclaimed to the flabbergasted Senators.

A quiet murmur made its way through the senate before David stood up with his hand raised. The senate fell silent again.

"We understand this is not the usual way for a Centurion to be chosen, but given the ease in which Jack made his way through some of the legion's best, we are inclined to agree to this idea. A leader and fighter of Jack's caliber will only improve the legion. I, Praetor Cassie, and Centurion Grace are all willing to vouch for Jack in this instance. Now, we shall put it to a vote, all of those in favor of this decision?"

A heavy majority of the Senators raised their hands to give their consent.

"And all those opposed?" He asked.

The remaining Senators raised their hands.

"The Senate has spoken. Jack Vidar will be the newest Centurion of Cohort Five. Could our auger please come forth to complete the process?" Cassie asked. "And Jack, please come up here."

Perseus rose from his seat and walked to the front as a scrawny blonde boy did the same. Perseus forced himself not to break out laughing as he laid eyes on the auger and the stuffed animals hanging from the belt around his toga.

"Check the auguries Octavian," David ordered. "We must be sure we are not angering the gods."

Octavian pulled one of his teddy bears from his waist before he pulled out a dagger. He sliced open the stomach of the stuffed bear and Perseus had to force himself not to cry out for an adult after the vicious massacre of the innocent bear (he made a mental note to keep his favorite Panda Pillow Pet concealed from the auger's grimy hands; he _really _did not want Pedro to be murdered in cold blood.). Instead, he focused on the mind of the auger, shoving aside his worries for another day.

Octavian's eyes glazed over for a second before he looked into the cotton entrails of the bear. After a moment, he looked up to the Senate. "The auguries say Vidar will be a valuable asset to the legion. One that will help us in the war against Saturn!"

Perseus grinned, these Romans were almost as easy to manipulate as the Greeks. He smiled at the gift he got from the all-father and his ability to sway this bogus prophet of Rome.

Cassie grinned at the news coming from Octavian's mouth. She had expected the auger to put up a fuss over Jack but couldn't help but feel relieved.

"Hold out your arm, son of Venus." Octavian ordered. Perseus put out his right arm.

Octavian raised his hands to the heavens. "We accept Jack Vidar, son of Venus, to the Twelfth Legion Fulminata for his first year of service. Do you pledge your life to the senate and people of Rome?"

"I do." Perseus said confidently.

The senators shouted, "Senatus Populusque Romanus!"

Fire blazed on Perseus' arm as he just watched it with curiosity.

Then the smoke and flame died, and new marks were seared onto Perseus' skin: SPQR, an image of a dove and a single stripe, representing the first year of service.

Percy then looked at Cassie who nodded to him, "You may return to your seat, Centurion." She said with a content smile on her face.

The rest of the meeting was a blur as Perseus hardly paid attention to what was said. Before he knew it, he was on his way back to his barrack with Jason. About half-way there, he stepped in front of Jason and stopped. "I just wanted to thank you Jason. The minute I walked into this camp people have been judging me based off who my mother is. You looked past that and I wanted to thank you for that." He said holding out his hand.

Jason looked surprised but grasped his hand firmly, "I don't like to judge people based off their parentage. People seem to think I'm supposed to end up as the leader of this camp just because my Dad is Jupiter but I like to think if I do end up as Praetor, it will be because of me and not my Dad."

Perseus smiled a bit. He had met Jason's father, or at least his Greek aspect and he was pleased to see his son was nothing like him. He knew he made the right choice joining Jason and the fifth; this was exactly where he belonged.

"Let's get back to the barracks; we have to explain the situation to the cohort." Jason said breaking Perseus from his thoughts as the duo made their way out of New Rome and into Camp Jupiter.

-x-

Perseus stood in the coliseum as he watched the sun rise. He knew Reyna would be here shortly; the Centurion of the first cohort would never let his remark about holding back slide. Her pride was too great and she was too good of a fighter to allow him to say that he wasn't giving his all when they battled.

Within minutes, Reyna appeared at the other end of the coliseum dressed in full battle armor and looking ready to kick his ass. She slowly made her way over to him, her eyes never straying from their narrowed look as she stared him down.

"Ready for a beat down, Vidar?" She practically spat out his name with venom.

Jack finally met her eyes and grinned. "Of course I am Reyna. It's a beautiful morning and there is a beautiful girl who got out of bed just to kick my ass. I don't know about you but I couldn't think of a better morning."

Despite how hard she tried, she couldn't keep the blood from rising her cheeks. This only served to increase her anger though. She was there for a serious bout and he was more interested in flirting than preparing for their fight. "I'm going to kick your ass, Jack." She told him darkly.

Perseus smiled, "I thought this was our first date… I have to say I'm a little upset you're not as excited as me."

Reyna growled under her breath, "I would never date someone like you, son of Venus. You're just a condescending and cocky little brat."

Perseus smile vanished, "You truly think me arrogant Reyna? Why don't you come at me and I will show you just how wrong you are."

Reyna pulled out her gladius and charged. What she did not expect was for him to stand there unmoving. As she raised her blade, he stepped forward and planted a hard kick to her chest that sent her to flat to the ground.

"When I said I was holding back, I was serious. Do not mistake me for some little boy, Centurion." He growled, all humor was gone from his features as he looked at Reyna through narrowed eyes.

Reyna jumped to her feet and charged again. This time Perseus pulled out his own blade and met her charge head on. They exchanged blows as spark flew from their swords.

Reyna feigned a blow high but ducked down to swipe at his legs. Perseus, though, read her like a book. Since he could walk he was trained by his adoptive mothers and despite her skill, she was a walk in the park for the Norse demigod.

He jumped over her swipe and slammed the hilt of his sword into the top of her skull sending her to the ground in a heap.

He looked at her injured form and felt a slight pang of guilt worm its way into his heart. He reached down and scooped her up, carrying her over to a seat to the side of the arena.

He laid her down with her head in his lap before he started muttering something quietly under his breath. The hand he had placed on her head glowed faintly before her eyes fluttered open as she stared up at him incredulously.

"How?" She asked quietly.

He gave her a sheepish smile, "I have spent my entire life training since I could walk. You are the toughest rival I have ever faced, but today you let your conceit get the best of you. I wasn't holding back in our fight yesterday but when I told you I was today, you let your antagonism cloud your mind. If you had kept a clear head, it would have been a long and difficult fight." He said softly.

Reyna just stared up at him, ignoring the fact her head was in his lap, with awe. "Who are you? Really?" She asked.

Perseus looked away for a minute before he turned back to meet her dark eyes. "That is a more difficult question than you might know. I promise you, if I know I can trust you, I will tell you everything."

Reyna looked back at him mystified before she slowly nodded, understanding he did not want to tell him life story to someone he just met.

"So does this mean I get a proper tour of camp and breakfast in the city?" He asked with a small smile. "I mean, those were the terms of our fight, right?"

Reyna picked her head up off his lap and waited for the blood to leave her face before she turned back to him, "I am a Roman and we Romans keep our word. Let's go, we only have a couple hours before we have to be back at camp."

Perseus grinned and stood up, pleased to be getting a proper tour from the only Roman other than Jason and Frank he had any interest in getting to know.

-x-

This is where I put my notes! I like writing notes… anyway, omg you even added the Frank joke! Ugh (hugs), you're the best, dude. And can people please stop sending me messages asking me to beta their stories? The answer is no… I have three reasons why. One, I don't even take this 'job' seriously. I just add occasional sarcastic comments and check spelling, you know? I'll probably just fuck up your stories and you _really _shouldn't allow me to have that much power over your stuff… I will feel like god and just do whatever I please with it (0/10 would not recommend). Two, some of you actually took the liberty to send me your stories via PM (goddamn it, you all make me wanna turn off my PMs, annoying fucks) and give me a deadline for when you want it. There are three things wrong with that: 1. you _assumed _that I would do it. I don't even know you! 2. I am not your little bitch, I am an independent Latina girl who doesn't take orders from aggravating pieces of grass like you (grass because I will spit and step all over you until you are reduced to a pile of _nothing_. Douchefucks. 3. Deadline. Yup. I am a procrastinator. I don't do well with deadlines. Give me an assignment, and I'll do it at 3 in the morning on the day its due (I actually get excellent grades when I complete my work at that time… BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT!). Alright. The final reason. Three, I just don't want to. We are not friends. Fuck you, that's why. I will not beta any of your stories besides Anaklusmos14's… I guess he's special? Yeah, he's my buddy. (P.S. to all of you sick fucks, we are not dating, omg so stop with that). Hey, this is rather long. I was gonna crack a perverted joke but never mind. That would be immature *laughs loudly*… yeah… hey, one last thing. Did you know you can get a Unicorn Hunting license from Michigan's Lake Superior State University?

~Sadie

_That's my note. End. _

_A.N: I really have nothing to add to that masterpiece. I think I shed a tear. I just love to see good profanity laced notes from authors and betas. _

_Deadlines? Whoever sent her those definitely made me laugh. I mean I'll pretty much say what's on my mind to her but not even I'm dumb enough to suggest a deadline, idjits. _

_And please, don't take things personally, they're just words and I promise they won't hurt you. I love all my readers, you guys rock, but it's kind of rude to just send someone your story and expect them to do it. So you kind of had it coming._

_Now let me know what you thought, good, bad and the ugly._


	8. The Quest

Ch. 8

Percy sat across from Reyna as they finished their breakfast inside a little bistro in the city of New Rome. Reyna had told him bits and pieces of her life growing up on Circe's Island and her split with her sister while they walked around the city before sitting down to eat. Percy had kept things vague while making sure not to outright lie to her as she tried to siphon some information about his past out of him. He couldn't really complain, he did enjoy her company. She was intelligent, tough and not to mention beautiful, making the tour of New Rome far more interesting than the one he got from Jason.

"So, why did you really choose the fifth cohort? You must have a reason for wanting to go to the weakest cohort in the legion." Reyna asked looking at him carefully to pick up on any tells he might give away.

Percy smiled as he watched her doing exactly what he did when he asked someone a question.

"There's a challenge in being the underdog. Why join the best when I can join the worst and then help them kick the best in the ass?"

Reyna's eyes narrowed, "That would never happen. The first would wipe the floor with your cohort."

Percy laughed, "I see a lot of talking but I'll believe it when I see it. Besides, I like Jason. He could use some help whipping them into shape."

Reyna smiled awkwardly, "Yes, Centurion Jason is a good legionnaire."

Percy raised an eyebrow and smirked a bit, "You two seem tight."

Reyna pursed her lips, "He is a friend. I am not here to find a date. I am here to train and help defend this city and my people."

Percy smirked, "And yet here you are, on a date with a charming son of Venus on only his second day in the legion. If you're not looking for date, you're doing a pretty poor job."

Reyna's eyes widened and a hint of red tinted her cheeks before she glared at him.

"This is not a date. I lost our fight and am holding up my end of the wager." She said indignantly.

Percy shrugged, "As you wish Reyna. I must thank you for keeping your end of the deal. I suppose I should get back to my cohort." He said in a bored tone as he tossed an excessive amount of denarii on the table and stood up.

Reyna looked down at the money then up at him confused.

"That's way too much to cover our breakfast."

Percy started to walk away, "The waitress was cute." He said casually as he walked out of the bistro without a second glance.

Reyna narrowed her eyes as she watched him disappear. She felt an ugly feeling creep its way inside her before she scooped up half the money left on the table and followed his lead in leaving the restaurant.

She caught up to him outside as he made his way out of the city. She shoved the money into his hand making him smirk slightly as he turned to look at her.

"I thought you said you weren't interested?"

Reyna's face turned a funny shade of red, "I'm not. That was just a waste of money. The waitress is most likely a legacy of Venus and one of your relatives anyway."

Percy rolled his eyes before his hand shot out and stopped a faun running past. He shoved the money into the wide eyed nature spirit's hands.

"Go buy yourself a good breakfast."

The faun stared at the denarii in shock but Percy started to walk away before he could even respond. Reyna followed as she just stared at 'Jack' making him chuckle.

"I doubt he was a legacy of Venus." He said dryly before resuming his walk.

"You are insufferable Vidar!" She snapped back as she tried to walk away.

Percy snatched her hand in his to stop her. She turned to look at him with narrowed eyes but he just smiled in response.

"I meant no offense Reyna. My family is quite well off and I thought the faun would have better use for the money than me."

Reyna continued to glare at him until she realized he was still holding her hand before she pulled it from his grasp.

"We need to get back to the barracks. The day will start soon and our absences will raise questions."

'Jack' nodded as he turned and continued his trek back to where his cohort would soon start to wake. Reyna stared at his back for a moment as she thought about how frustrating this demigod was. He managed to get her flustered multiple times with ease, something that _never_ happened to her. She shook her head and took off after him after vowing to figure this demigod out if it was the last thing she did.

Line Break

The days turned into weeks and the weeks soon into months as Percy got settled into Camp Jupiter and into life as a legionnaire. He and Jason grew a bit closer as well as Percy's relationship with Frank; something about the awkward son of Mars just amused the hell out of Percy and it made him spend most of his free time with Frank who was more than happy to tag along with his Centurion whenever he could.

It was night and the cohorts were all in their barracks passed out for the night after an exciting evening where Percy led Cohorts Four and Five to victory over the others in the war games. The night was filled with celebration for his cohort from which they were all sleeping soundly in their beds.

All except 'Jack Vidar' who rose from his bed without a sound, slipping past his snoring comrades and out of the barracks before making his way towards the borders of the camp at a brisk walk. He slipped past the patrolling wolves and onto the beach where the Romans and their distaste for Neptune would ensure he would have privacy.

He stood on the beach in waiting as he stared out into the sea, watching the waves lapping the shore continuously.

"Perseus," a stern female voice said from behind him.

He turned around and came face to face with the three beautiful immortal women who had raised him since infancy, his own strange little family.

"Mothers," Percy said with a small smile. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this summoning?"

"War approaches," Brynhildr said seriously. "We came to see if you have acclimated to your new home and if you are ready."

Percy nodded, "Things are well here. I have a cohort under my command and have proven myself a worthy Roman. When the time comes, I will be ready."

Eir smiled fondly, "You have done well Perseus, you make your father and grandfather proud."

Percy smiled slightly embarrassed by the compliment before his smile vanished when he saw Sigrún's expression.

"What is it?"

The immortal Valkyrie pursed his lips into a tight line, "We believe she will be here soon. It seems she found a way to leave her realm and no one will be able to stop her. The war the All-Father foresaw is coming quicker than we thought."

Percy frowned slightly but steeled his nerves, "And when it does I will do what I need to in order to send her back where she belongs."

The three immortal maidens nodded but their expressions told him the conversation wasn't over.

"What else?"

"The Romans will be sending a quest." Brynhildr explained. "A quest you will be on."

Percy raised an eyebrow, "I will?"

Eir nodded, "The All-Father has foreseen it and sent us to warn you to tread carefully."

Percy made a go-on gesture but Eir shook her head.

"We don't know. Odin's sight was blocked when he foresaw your journey."

Percy's eyes widened, "How is that possible?"

Eir just looked at him expectantly.

"Hel? How can she even do that?"

The Valkyrie shook her head, "We don't know but it is not a good sign. You must be prepared to do what is necessary when the time comes."

Percy's eyes widened, "You want me to reveal myself? Why? What was the point of even coming here if I was just going to reveal myself a couple months in?"

Sigrún shook her head disapprovingly, "To gain the trust of the Roman demigods. The Olympians pay little attention to their Roman children so infiltrating their camp was a far simpler task than trying to slip into the Greek ranks. If those Greeks or Romans want to survive this war then they will have to accept you or they will all fall when Hel unleashes her worst on the world."

Percy listened intently to her words before he glanced out into the sea. He liked being in Camp Jupiter. It was the first place that had welcomed him in as one of their own. Revealing himself could ruin all he had worked for, the friends he had made and the respect he had gained. The thought of being cast out brought a sharp pain into his chest. He never had a real home, he never really belonged anywhere. This was the closest he had come and even if it was based on a lie, it was still something that meant something to him.

But he also had to think about his real family, the one he had never met, only seeing his grandfather in a dream once, and what he was supposed to do, what he was destined to do in this world. He was a Norse demigod, the last of his kind and he had a duty that needed to be put in front of everything else, the honor of his father to live up to.

He finally turned back to his three adoptive mothers and nodded, "I'll do what is necessary, rest assured."

The three immortals nodded as a portal opened up on the beach which Sigrún and Brynhildr walked through before Eir paused and turned back to Percy.

"Choose your companions wisely and you will not lose your home." She said with a small smile.

Percy couldn't help but smile back. Eir had always been the kindest and gentlest of his immortal guardians, the one who he went to in times of frustration and despair.

"Perhaps the pretty one you've had your eye on for a while." Eir said with a wink before she stepped into the portal which closed behind her.

Percy's eyes widened before his cheeks flushed in embarrassment. He shook his head and looked around to make sure the beach was still clear. He raised his hand to the sky as thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. A small blur made its way through the air from the distance in the sea.

He kept his hand raised as the object closed in until a bolt of lightning dropped from the sky connecting with his hand just as his fingers closed around Mjolnir.

He felt the raw power of the godly weapon coursing through his body as lightning danced across his eyes.

Percy grinned, "I've missed you baby. I think it's time to take you out of the attic."

The weapons glowed for a second before it vanished from his hand as a gray bracelet appeared on his wrist, Mjolnir ready at a moment's notice.

Percy glanced around before he took off back towards camp at a jog, his mind racing with the information he just learned and what it would mean for him and his life in the near future.

-x-

Percy walked through the streets of New Rome, towards the massive temple of Jupiter. A Senate meeting had just been called and he needed to work quickly. He slipped through the crowds of people and senators making their way towards the senate house.

He looked behind him to make sure he hadn't missed him before turning back around and catching a teddy bear hanging from a belt in peripheral vision.

Percy ran to his left until he came up behind Octavian before he casually strolled past him.

"Jack!" Octavian yelled.

Percy smirked before turning around, "Oh hey, what's up Octavian? Heading for the Senate House too? Any idea what this meeting is for?"

Octavian puffed out his chest a little, "Apparently there are rumors of the Titans gathering in Othrys and a possible attack on camp. I'll have to check the auguries and see what our best course of action is."

Percy bit back a laugh at the frail kid's attempts to look big and nodded looking concerned, "That is disturbing news. I'm sure the auguries will show us the best course of action on what to do next." He said putting a hand on Octavian's shoulder and focusing on his mind.

Octavian's eyes glazed over for a second before they cleared and he nodded, "Yes, I am sure they will. I assume I have your support in whatever is revealed as the best action?"

Percy nodded seriously, "Of course. The auguries will guide us on the right path, I am positive."

Octavian grinned as they made their way into the Senate House. Percy took his seat next to Jason who raised an eyebrow at Percy as he saw him and Octavian make their way in together.

"Really Jack?"

Percy smirked, "What? The guy is harmless. I'm more concerned with that bee buzzing around your head right now than I am with Octavian."

Jason's eyes widened as he jumped up warily looking for the bee before Percy started to snicker. Jason punched him hard in the chest.

"Dude, not cool."

Percy smirked, "Sorry but you're too easy."

Jason rolled his eyes before he settled down as Cassie stood from her Praetor's chair in the front of the Senate.

"It has come to our attention that the Titans are gathering forces near their base on Mount Othrys. We have gathered the Senate to discuss what action we should take if any based on this new information."

A number of Senators began speaking at once, all trying to have their voice heard. Percy rolled his eyes at this idiotic occurence that plagued every Senate meeting. He slowly stood up waited for the room to quiet. He caught Cassie looking at him before she stood up again.

"ENOUGH!" She yelled over all other sounds in the room. The Senators looked at her expectantly.

"Since Jack was the only one with courtesy to wait to speak, he has the floor." Cassie said calmly as all eyes turned to Percy.

"Why don't we skip everyone telling us what they think we should do and just look to the auguries before we discuss our next course of action?"

Cassie smiled and nodded before she turned to Octavian, "Come forth Auger so that you may see what the auguries tell you."

Octavian rose from his seat with a smug smile on his face. He stopped at a table in the front of the Senate before unhooking the panda pillow attached to his belt and laid it on the table. He slowly drew a dagger from his waist and raised it up before driving it into the stomach of the helpless panda with one fluid motion.

Octavian sifted through the cottony entrails as his eyes seemed to glaze over slightly before his head snapped up.

"A quest!" He said dramatically. "We need a quest to investigate and gather intelligence on the happenings of the Titans."

Cassie nodded, "Anything else?"

Octavian gazed in the stuffing again before he nodded, "The quest must be led by a child of Venus."

A number of Senators and Centurions began to shout their arguments only to have Octavian drive his dagger into the table violently as they fell silent again.

"This has been foreseen by me, legacy of Phoebus Apollo and Auger of this legion!" He yelled. "Unless you doubt the validity of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo then I suggest you remain silent."

Percy nudged Jason who looked shocked, "See, the little guy's not so bad."

Jason frowned, "He works with the skill of his tongue not the skill of his blade. He is a poor Roman."

Percy shrugged, "Every population needs its warriors and its politicians. Let him have him place as a talker, in Rome, real respect is earned on the battlefield."

"Jack!" David yelled loudly from the front of the Senate.

Percy's head snapped as he realized they had called for him more than once, "Yes, Praetor, my apologies."

David rolled his eyes, "Seeing as you are the highest ranked child of Venus in the legion, we ask that you lead this quest."

Percy smiled internally, he loved the fact he could manipulate Octavian's mind so easily.

"It would be an honor to do my duty to protect New Rome and lead this quest. How many companions am I permitted to take?"

David glanced at Octavian who held up two fingers.

"Then if they will join me I will take Centurions Jason and Reyna." Percy announced loudly.

Cassie stood up and shook her head, "We need at least one Centurion from the Fifth Cohort here to lead your soldiers in case of an attack or battle. Choose another."

Percy frowned and looked around. He wasn't going to take another Centurion, they were mostly douchebags and he needed someone he could trust and that he liked. Finally his brained clicked into place and he grinned.

"I will take legionnaire Frank Zhang if he will join me."

A number of the other Centurions shouted their disagreements with his choice before David raised his hand to silence them.

"The auguries called for Jack to lead this quest and his companions are his to choose. Centurion Reyna, will you join him on the quest?"

Reyna stood up glancing at Percy briefly before nodding, "I will."

David nodded, "Good, now once we speak to legionnaire Zhang then the quest will be set. You will depart tomorrow and head for the mountain. Be wary of where you travel, your mission is to gather intelligence and report back to camp immediately. If no one has anything to add then I will called this meeting of the Senate of New Rome complete."

No one spoke but a few glanced at Percy with less than friendly looks.

"Meeting dismissed." Cassie announced, "Someone summon Zhang here so that we may find out if he is willing to join this quest."

Percy and Jason made their way out of the Senate House and into the streets of New Rome.

"Sorry bro, I tried to take you along." Percy said looking apologetically at his friend.

"Someone does have to be here to lead the cohort." Jason replied with a shrug before he looked curiously at his friend, "I understand Reyna but why Frank? There are a lot of more experienced and skilled legionnaires that you could take."

Percy nodded, "Yes there are but it seems like a good time for Frank to prove himself. Besides, Frank's a good guy, he'll be good company on the trip."

Jason was silent for a minute before he nodded, "Maybe but I hope you know what you're doing Jack. This is no little quest; you'll be walking into the lion's den, trying to get a look at what might be the most dangerous place in the world right now."

Percy nodded as he thought about the quest and the warning from his guardians and how it could change everything for him.

**A.N: I don't know if this chapter was any good or not…. It kind of just sets things up for later. I know people have waited a long time for this to be updated so I just published it… The last few chapters have had the help of Sadie Winchester as a beta but this one I just published; so if it sucks then it's on me and me alone. I doubt I will update this for a little bit, I think I want to focus on Seal of the Betrayed for a while and since that's what I want, it's exactly what I'll do. Sorry if this disappoints people.**

**Now I would love to hear what you thought of the chapter, it's not my best but this was due for an update so here it is. Next chapter will be better, with more action. Just bear with me as I try to finish up some of my open fics so I can go back to focusing on one or two at a time. But hey, two updates for my fics in less than 12 hours, that's a bonus, right? Tell me your thoughts and I'll update sooner.**


	9. Well, I Did Not See That Coming

Ch. 9

Percy stood at the entrance to Camp Jupiter. He looked behind him to see Frank lumbering his way towards him with less than graceful steps. He wondered if it had been a mistake to choose Frank as his other companion. He was awkward and clumsy and showed less than stellar wits on the battlefield during their experiences together in the war games at camp.

As Frank approached him, Percy saw something that halted his previous doubts when it came to Frank. It was a genuine smile that was filled full of nervousness but also full of gratefulness. It wasn't easy for a legionnaire to get a quest at Camp Jupiter so proving their worth was often a long and difficult process. This was undoubtedly the biggest break Frank had ever gotten since learning he was demigod and while others might think themselves entitled, one look at Frank's face showed just how much he appreciated be chosen for this.

Then he also remembered the other reason he chose Frank other than to help his friend out. He trusted Frank. Since his first day and Frank's awkward introduction and greeting with the supposed son of Venus, he hadn't treated him differently because of who he thought his parents were or for how he acted in the coliseum. He judged Percy on how he acted around him, something that no one, not even Jason, had done from the start.

Jason was his other best friend since joining the legion and would have been his first choice but he was more than content with Frank as plan B.

He looked down at his wrist where the gray bracelet sat looking inconspicuous and harmless, if not a little peculiar, and he remembered the warning from his adoptive mothers. He knew his time remaining incognito was running low and Frank was one of the few people who might still give him a chance and keep his secret if he knew his reason for deceiving the Romans and entering under false pretenses. Frank may be awkward and clumsy but Percy learned he was actually quite intelligent even if he didn't often show it in fear of looking foolish or being rebuked by the other Romans. He would hopefully see why Percy did what he did and realize he had little other options.

He was broken out of his thoughts as the plump cheeked legionnaire came to a halt beside him, a look of concern etched into his features.

"Are you sure about this Jack? There's still time for you to pick someone else, someone who might be a better asset to you on this quest."

Percy's expression darkened a bit as Frank was again letting his insecurities guide the words that left his mouth.

"Frank," he said calmly. "Shut that big ass mouth of yours."

Frank looked slightly appalled by his response but Percy held up a hand to stop him from replying.

"I did not choose you out of sympathy or because you're my friend. You're a good Roman, one who only lacks the confidence needed to reach his full potential. You might be a son of Mars but I've seen you with that bow and you would give the Apollo children a run for their money any day of the week. You're smart and I trust you more than I trust anyone else in the legion. Stop acting like you don't have just as much if not more of a right than anyone else to be here. I chose you because you are who I want, someone who can cover mine and Reyna's backs in battle. What better than a skilled archer to cover us while we handle the close quarters combat? Stop doubting yourself because if you do it again I'm going to put my foot so far up your ass that you'll be spitting out my shoelaces."

Frank's eyes widened a bit but a small smile tugged at his lips.

"Alright, thank you Jack."

Percy shook his head, "Don't thank me. This isn't a trip to the amusement park. We're heading into what could be the most dangerous place on earth. Get focused Frank because one slip up and you may not make it back to camp at all. This isn't the war games, this is real. We screw up, we most likely die. I'm not trying to scare you but this isn't a reward for you, it's a responsibility and one you must take seriously."

Before Frank could respond, a new voice did.

"Finally it appears Vidar can speak in a way other than joking. His words are quite accurate Zhang, this is going to be extremely dangerous."

Frank looked at the centurion from the first cohort a little nervously before he quickly nodded his head in agreement.

"Have you been a quest before Reyna?" Frank asked curiously.

Reyna shook her head, "Not a quest but I have had enough real world experiences that I can tell the two of you that you have no idea what you're walking into."

Frank nodded and looked at Percy, "What about you? Ever been in these types of situations before?"

Percy just nodded, not wishing to elaborate.

Reyna narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Care to share some of these dangerous adventures Vidar?"

Percy turned to her with a dark look on his face, "Not particularly but given your stubbornness and dubiety to anything I say I doubt I have much of a choice. Let's get moving and I will explain on the way. This isn't story time, we need to get going."

They made their way past the borders of Camp Jupiter and towards the city of San Francisco, choosing to take a more rural route to avoid mortals in case of a monster attack. Thirty minutes into their journey, Percy caught Reyna looking at him expectantly.

He rolled his eyes, "A little while before I came to Camp Jupiter, I was in Mount Othrys. My relatives sent me to aide a group hoping to rescue the goddess Diana who had been captured by the Titan forces. A quest of a small group of her hunters and a couple random demigods were tasked with her rescue. I don't know if fighting a Titan one on one for a while is worthy of the great centurion of Cohort One, but I promise you don't know strength until you try to fight one yourself."

Percy hoped the diluted version of the events on Othrys would be enough as he glanced over to find Frank gawking at him while Reyna was looking at him suspiciously.

"Don't believe me, fine. I will prove it but when I do, it is the end of your little inquisition Centurion Reyna." Percy said coldly. "I swear on the River Styx that the words I just spoke about my experience on Mount Othrys were the truth."

Thunder rumbled overhead making a small gasp escape Frank's lips and Reyna's eyes to widen a bit. She opened her mouth to speak but Percy cut her off.

"The discussion is over. I told you what you asked. You doubted the truth to my words and thus my honor as a Roman. I don't believe I owe you anything else Reyna." Percy said in an icy tone as he turned his eyes to the front and focused on the task at hand as they made their way around the city and in the direction where they could see Mount Othrys in the distance.

They walked westward in silence. The cold tone in which Percy had spoken had put an almost nervous tension amongst the questers. Reyna stole glances at him as they walked but he kept his eyes focused ahead of him, slightly irritated at the way she constantly questioned him and the things he said.

In reality he couldn't really blame her since the majority of the things that came out his mouth were lies or partial lies but they were necessary ones.

He wasn't pretending to be a Roman just for shits and giggles.

He was doing what he could to protect them and fulfill the destiny that had been laid on his shoulders since the day of his birth. He had friends now. Good friends, the first real friends of his short life and the possibility of losing those friends put him in a foul mood. He wasn't actually even mad at Reyna but at this supposed destiny that would most likely take away the one thing he wanted most and had only just found; a place where he felt like he belonged.

They travelled for a few hours, walking around the city on this incredibly short quest. The distance between Camp Jupiter and Mount Othrys was actually extremely short. It was going to take them less than a day to make it to the outskirts of the mountain. Assuming they didn't run into any trouble they would just have to figure out how to go about approaching the mountain without walking straight to their deaths.

Just as they passed the city and were on the final stretch of fifteen miles before reaching the base of Mount Othrys, things quickly went wrong for their little quest.

Percy, who was walking a few feet ahead of Reyna and Frank, suddenly came to a stop. He slowly dropped into a crouch and looked at the surrounding area.

"Why are you stopping?" Reyna asked slightly irritated after being given the cold shoulder for the duration of the day after she simply tried to learn more about this mysterious son of the love goddess.

"We're being followed. They've been following us for the last couple miles but they're closing in now." Percy said calmly as his hand grazed his gladius before passing over it and reaching for the small key chain hooked to his belt loop.

Both Reyna and Frank looked around wildly.

"Stop." Percy growled. "We need them to think they have the element of surprise."

Frank looked on the verge of a panic attack while Reyna caught herself and calmly walked up next to 'Jack' trying to act casual.

"What is it Jack?" She asked quietly.

Percy kept a hand on his keychain as his eyes darted back and forth.

"Werewolves. I believe it's the whole pack. I count at least a dozen and they've surrounded us." He said standing up. "It's too late. They're on us. Get out your silver weapons!" He yelled as he pulled on the keychain as it materialized into a pure silver sword that shined brightly in the late afternoon sun.

Reyna's eyes widened slightly as she reached for her hunting knives but paused for a second when she saw the sword in 'Jack's' hands, trying to remember why it seemed so familiar to her.

Before she could think any more about it, a werewolf burst out of the trees and right at them. Percy turned to defend himself when the monster yelped in pain before dissolving into golden dust. A silver arrow lay in the pile of monster dust as Percy's eyes turned to Frank who already had another arrow notched and ready as his eyes darted all around looking for another target.

Percy ran at Frank, the sight of the bushes behind him moving slightly alerted him to the attack as he closed the distance just as a second wolf lunged at Frank's back.

Percy hit the ground, going into a baseball slide right past Frank before he dug his front foot into the earth making him shoot upwards where he drove his blade straight into the underbelly of the lunging monster just as it reached Frank.

Percy let his momentum carry him as he drove the beast straight into the ground before ripping his blade out as the monster dissolved.

Frank's eyes widened as he watched his friend undoubtedly save his life before he whirled around, releasing his notched arrow as it whizzed past Reyna's head and straight into the forehead of the werewolf stalking towards her.

Frank notched another arrow but was knocked to the ground as a second wolf lunged out from behind him at the same time one lunged at Percy. The beast raked its claws across Frank's back, opening up a number of deep gashes. The wolf opened its mouth to clamp onto the back of Frank's neck when it suddenly yelped and jumped off as Reyna sliced her silver blade across the beast's front legs.

Percy dispatched his attacker and turned to find Frank on the ground bleeding and Reyna standing over him as a wounded wolf slunk back into the woods. Percy turned around as he backtracked to where Reyna was standing until the two stood with their backs facing each other and Frank's injured body between them as they watched the woods all around them waiting for the next attack.

The woods were silent though. No branches moved, no bushes rustled making Reyna wonder if the attack was over and they had won. Before she could speak though, a single ragged looking man stepped out of the woods. He was tall, over six feet and his body was slim yet he looked dangerous in a primal animalistic type of way, like he would bite out your throat if he needed to without hesitation. Then Reyna saw the fangs as he realized exactly who this scar marred face belonged to. The thought sent a shiver of fear through the female demigod's spine.

"Lycaon," Reyna spat. "Lupa will make you pay for this."

Lycaon gave a fanged smile of amusement, "I doubt that little bitch and her pack of mutts will be coming anywhere near Mount Othrys when she learns what became of her little demigods."

Percy narrowed his eyes a bit, "You're making a mistake right now. I suggest you leave now before you force me to do something that's going to make me very angry. You're not going to like what happens when I get angry."

Lycaon looked at Percy for the first time, smiling at his words at first before the smile vanished. He took a step closer taking a deep breath through his nose as he looked closely at 'Jack'. His eyes widened slightly, "YOU!" He snarled. "I'm going to enjoy feasting on your flesh boy."

Percy's hand drifted to his bracelet as Lycaon looked murderous. He opened his mouth to speak again when his face suddenly went slack. He tilted his head to the side as if listening to some voice that only he could hear. After a moment he turned back to the three demigods.

"My mistress wishes to play with you three some more before I can devour you. You should spend your remaining hours wisely as if you somehow survive what is in store for you then I will be back to finish what I started." He sneered at them before slipping back into the treeline.

Once the werewolf king was gone, Percy whirled around and knelt down next to Frank whose shirt was soaked in blood from the gaping wounds from the wolf claws.

"Cut off his shirt." Percy ordered not even looking up at Reyna as he began to dig into his pack for supplies.

Reyna ignored all the questions racing through her mind and set to work, carefully cutting Frank's shirt off and avoiding his wounds. Once the garment was cut and she got a good look at the wounds she knew he didn't have much of a shot of surviving based on how much blood he lost and the fact they didn't have a healer to close the wounds for him.

Percy turned back around and paled a bit when he saw Frank's back. He looked up at Reyna whose expression wasn't hopeful before he shook it off and set to work.

He opened up a flask and poured a little nectar on each of the gashes, stemming the blood loss for a moment and giving him a chance to work.

"Put your dagger hilt in his mouth. This is going to be painful." Percy ordered as Frank slipped in and out of consciousness.

Reyna's eyes widened a bit before she pulled out her dagger and forced the hilt into the groggy demigod's mouth. She looked up at 'Jack' to find him threading a needle as she realized what it was he was planning to do.

"Do you know what you're doing?"

Percy didn't acknowledge her question as he pulled out a lighter and put the flame to the needle for a moment. When he pulled it away he looked down at Frank's wound nervously.

"Just bear with me Frank, I'll put you back together but you've got to lay still."

Using his left hand to steady the stocky son of Mar's back, he carefully set to work. Frank for his part took it well, putting the dagger hilt to good use as he bit down while his friend slowly stitched his wounds back together one at a time.

Reyna watched the son of Venus work in slight awe as he stitched up the wounds flawlessly. It took nearly thirty minutes for Percy to close all the gashes, beads of sweat were visible on his face by the time he was finished. He looked down at his work and approved of the job he had done. He reached into his pack again before looking at the back of Frank's head with pity.

"If I were you I'd bite down hard right now."

Frank's head lifted a bit as he tried to look back at 'Jack' but before he could turn, a cold liquid was poured on his wounds making him bite down so hard he thought his teeth would break. His screams of agony were muffled as the alcohol seeped into the fresh wounds. After a minute, a second liquid was poured on them as well. One that made Frank sigh with relief and relax so much the dagger fell from his mouth as the nectar soothed his searing wounds.

After a moment Percy pulled something else out of his pack before he knelt down near Frank's head, "Reyna help me. I need to bandage him but we need him sitting up and we need to be careful he doesn't rip his stitches."

Reyna knelt on the other side of Frank as she and 'Jack' slowly raised the demigod up so he was seated on his butt.

"Raise your hands." Percy ordered. As soon as Frank complied, Percy began to wrap the bandage around his torso. When he finished, Frank's eyes drooped a bit.

"I feel tired."

Percy smiled, "You should; that's no ordinary bandage. It's soaked in nectar and a sedative. It's going to make you sleep like the big Asian baby you are and heal your wounds overnight while you sleep. Relax Frank, by morning you'll be good as new and we can resume this quest."

Frank's eyes were barely open but he managed to reach out and grab Percy by the shirt pulling him a little closer.

"Jack. I need to tell you something." He said tiredly. "Before you came to camp, I hated Rome. I hated everything about being a demigod. The other legionnaires, they mocked me and shunned me because I was an archer when I should have been a warrior like my brothers and sisters. But you, you changed things for me." Frank said in a slightly slurred voice as he struggled to stay awake. "You're a good friend Jack. My best friend. I want you to know that if I needed to I would give my life for you. Maybe you're not by blood but I want you to know, you are my brother... You're... You... You..." He trailed off as his words were replaced by quiet snores as his hand slipped off Percy's shirt and Percy gently laid him down on the ground.

"I feel the same way buddy, you rest and heal up." Percy said quietly before standing up.

Reyna was staring at him still in a bit of awe. She had never seen this side of Jack. He was always cracking jokes or making puns but this side of him, it was so different. His healing skills were on par with the children of Apollo and the way Frank spoke to him, it was the way a soldier spoke to a true leader. Someone he would follow to the ends of the Earth based on nothing else but pure trust and respect.

Her thoughts were broken when Percy began digging into his pack again. He pulled out two small folded up squares before he tossed them on the ground. The moment they hit the ground, the exploded into tents making Reyna gasp.

"Whoa, how did you do that?"

Percy smiled, "A gift from the relatives that raised me. They are enchanted tents. They are bigger on the inside too. I brought one for you and one for me and Frank to share. Why don't you drag Frank into one while I set up defensive perimeter?"

Reyna raised an eyebrow until she saw him pull out two thin coils of wires, one silver and one gold.

"What are those?" She asked confused.

"Our perimeter." He said simply. "Silver and Imperial Gold. I'm going to set up trip wires in a square around our camp. If we get any unwanted visits from monsters or werewolves during the night then we'll have enough time to at least be ready for them."

Reyna stared at him for a moment, "You brought all this stuff? This wasn't even supposed to take more than a day."

"Nothing ever goes as planned when dealing with monsters. I assumed we'd run into trouble so I made sure I had enough supplies for a several day trip in case things got complicated."

Reyna nodded numbly but before she could speak again he turned and slipped into the woods to set up the perimeter. Reyna shook her head and turned to Frank who was sleeping peacefully on the ground.

"Perhaps you were much smarter than me Zhang; I think I judged Jack a little too quickly." She said quietly as she dragged the slumbering demigod into one of the tents before trekking into the surrounding woods in search of wood for a fire.

-x-

Reyna sat across the small fire she had built as Jack finished off the last of his dinner, one he had brought and cooked for both of them. She watched him closely. She had a number of things she wanted to ask him but wasn't sure where to start. Normally she would just ask and then glare her way into getting the answers she wanted. This demigod was different though. He simply did not fear her at all. It was a foreign feeling but something she liked about him, finally someone who wouldn't let himself be pushed around by her. She internally groaned as she knew the only way she might get answers would be to start with an apology for the way she had treated him since he first walked into Camp Jupiter.

"I think I owe you an apology. It's just..." She started before he raised his hand to stop her.

"Please don't. I do not need an apology Reyna. I promise nothing you've said or done has changed my opinion of you."

Reyna was slightly confused by his answer. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. She decided to ask some of her questions anyway.

"Regardless I should not have doubted your word. You're a Roman and we Romans do not lie to each other. I was just surprised at some of the things you did before even coming to the legion."

Percy sighed and tossed his paper plate into the fire, "Alright just ask. I can only assume if you're apologizing it's because you want answers. Just ask them so we can get this over with."

She was slightly annoyed by his response but got up from her seat and moved onto a log closer to him so she could ask her questions face to face.

"How were you on a quest to save Diana if you weren't even in the legion yet? How did you even know she was captured?"

He nodded albeit he looked uninterested in explaining, "A few years ago I came across one of her hunters being assaulted by some mortals. I intervened and afterword my relatives and Diana spoke before we parted ways. When she was captured I was sent to aide in rescuing her by the relatives who raised me."

Reyna nodded slowly, "Are your relatives demigods?"

"They are indeed the offspring of gods." He said back knowing the answer was not a lie.

"So why come to Camp Jupiter?"

Percy turned and looked into the fire as its small blaze consumed the last of the firewood. He didn't respond immediately making Reyna think he was ignoring her. Before she could snap at him, he turned back to her.

"Have you ever wanted a place where you truly belonged, a place you could call home? My relatives are amazing and I love them dearly but growing up with them wasn't the same. They trained me since I took my first step because they know what kind of life we demigods are forced to live. I owe them so much for doing that for me but I never had a chance to make real friends. I was home schooled, so I never saw other kids my age. It was just me and them and while I know they love me and me them, it wasn't enough. They sent me to camp because they knew it was where I needed to be, with my own kind. Now I have the first two real true friends of my life in Jason and Frank. You seem to think I have this hidden agenda but I don't. I'm honestly here because this is where I want to be and I will do whatever I have to to keep it safe; to protect Camp Jupiter until my final breath if I must."

Reyna listened intently and could hear the genuineness in his voice when he spoke about the things he wanted. Her own thoughts drifted to growing up on Circe's Island and that same feeling she had when she lost it, how she longed for another home. She remembered how she felt when she found one in the legion and knew what he meant by being willing to do anything he had to in order to protect it.

She looked back at 'Jack' to find him staring at the fire again, a faraway look in his eyes. She slid off her log and onto his bringing his eyes back to her again.

"I do know that feeling, more than you might know. I am sorry for the way I have questioned you. I had no right to doubt your words and for that I apologize."

'Jack' gave her a small smile, "Like I said, no need to apologize, there is nothing to forgive. I can only imagine how my little jokes must have looked when we met. I tend to crack more jokes than I should but you should know that I can be serious when I must. I just enjoy making people laugh sometimes, almost as much as I love to mock the arrogant people who think themselves above everyone else."

"Is that why you kissed me in front of the legion? To mock me because I act like I'm better than others?" She asked but her voice wasn't full of anger. Instead it was slightly nervous with a touch of shame at the thought of her being like the centurion from cohort two.

Percy let out a little laugh and shook his head, "I kissed you because I thought you were beautiful and I figured that was the only chance I would get. You don't act like some of those dicks from the second. You carry yourself with dignity and there is nothing wrong with that."

Reyna couldn't help but blush at little at being called beautiful before she smiled a bit when he said she wasn't like the others. She looked up at Jack again and noticed he was trying not to laugh at her red cheeks. She tried to glare at him but found it only made his smile grow a little. He leaned a little closer to her which brought even more blood to her cheeks.

"You know, we should probably get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, one that could easily be our last ones on this earth." He whispered softly, his face still close to hers.

Reyna felt an unfamiliar feeling as she looked into his eyes, their faces so close to each other. At first she didn't recognize it but then she realized she was nervous.

"Yes, we should. We should get an early start tomorrow." She said back softly unsure why she wasn't moving away. This wasn't like her. This demigod had her flustered and she honestly wasn't sure what to do.

Percy's smile grew a little more as their faces were now only inches apart. She could feel his breath on her face. Her mind was telling her to just stand up but it seemed her body had no desire to comply with its wishes. She didn't know what she was doing but she just went with what felt right.

Without warning, she closed the last few inches between them and pressed her lips to his. She knew this was not like her but at the moment she didn't care. In this moment, it felt right and she wasn't going to argue right now as his hand came up and landed softly on her cheek. The kiss deepened a little as Reyna's hand found its way into his messy dark hair. She felt his tongue gently on her lips she involuntarily opened her mouth as she lost herself in the moment, her other hand finding its way into his hair as well and she pulled him closer.

The need for oxygen forced them to grudgingly break apart but they never broke eye contact, neither able to deny the intensity of what had just happened. Percy opened his mouth to speak when the sound of wires snapping and something crashing to the ground caused them both to shoot to their feet, their eyes immediately going to the woods behind them where the sound came from.

Out of the woods emerged a creature that made Reyna gasp and Percy to curse loudly as he realized how utterly screwed he was.

**A.N: Well I know it's late... Well late for me... 12:30am but I said I would update and I keep my word to my loyal readers, frankly because you guys are awesome. I know it's late but I did put a lot of work into this chapter... Some reviews would be greatly appreciated and will motivate to write the next chapter since I did leave you with a cliffhanger.**

**So let me know what you thought, the good, the bad, and the ugly.**


	10. Hey! I Remember Your Ass!

**Ch. 10**

_Last Chapter…._

_Without warning, she closed the last few inches between them and pressed her lips to his. She knew this was not like her but at the moment she didn't care. In this moment, it felt right and she wasn't going to argue right now as his hand came up and landed softly on her cheek. The kiss deepened a little as Reyna's hand found its way into his messy dark hair. She felt his tongue gently on her lips she involuntarily opened her mouth as she lost herself in the moment, her other hand finding its way into his hair as well and she pulled him closer._

_The need for oxygen forced them to grudgingly break apart but they never broke eye contact, neither able to deny the intensity of what had just happened. Percy opened his mouth to speak when the sound of wires snapping and something crashing to the ground caused them both to shoot to their feet, their eyes immediately going to the woods behind them where the sound came from._

_Out of the woods emerged a creature that made Reyna gasp and Percy to curse loudly as he realized how utterly screwed he was._

Now….

Percy put himself in between Reyna and the creature as he backed up a bit forcing her to do the same.

"What in the name of the gods is that?" Reyna asked nervously as she looked at the vaguely humanoid creature gawking at them from a dozen yards away.

Percy let out a humorless laugh, "Funny you should mention those gods, I don't think the Olympians would know much about this one."

Reyna was confused by his response. She stepped out from behind him and drew her gladius.

"I don't care what it is, it's going to die now."

"Reyna don't," Percy warned. "You don't know what you're doing. This isn't a monster you know how to fight."

"If it can bleed, then it can die." Reyna replied stepping towards the monster as it stalked forward.

"Don't!" Percy yelled as a huge gust of wind came in and knocked the Roman demigoddess right off her feet.

She looked up from her back to see 'Jack' with a pained expression on his face. He looked at her apologetically, "I am sorry about this but I don't have a choice anymore."

Reyna's face twisted into a confused expression as 'Jack' chanted a few words in a strange language. The air around him seemed to shimmer a bit before she gasped. There stood the teen she had met years earlier with Jason, the one that had saved them from Lycaon only to disappear never to be seen again; the teen she had never forgotten since that fateful day when he proclaimed they would need him on day. She noticed how this Perseus and Jack did look slightly similar now that she saw him again. His hair was darker and his eyes were a bright blue but instead of whites, his sclera were tinted yellow making his eyes all that more terrifying and appealing at the same time.

His face looked upset as he looked at her before it turned angry as he turned to the monster.

"So, the son of Thor comes out of the hiding." It grunted gruffly.

Percy's hand went to his bracelet as Mjolnir appeared his hand. Thunder rumbled loudly overhead and lightning flashed across the skies lighting up the starless night. A bolt of lightning dropped from the sky making Reyna gasp when it hit Percy but when the bright light vanished, he stood unharmed but now decked out in strange looking armor.

"Grendel, I believe," he growled back. "Hel brought you back did she? Then I suppose I will have to rectify that now, won't I?"

Grendel gave an amused grin before charging at the last child of Asgard. Percy hurled Mjolnir at the beast but Grendel dropped to the ground as it flew over him harmlessly before he jumped to his feet resuming his charge.

Percy smiled evilly Grendel closed in on him. He was about to lunge at the demigod when Mjolnir cracked the large gremlin like creature in the back sending him stumbling towards Percy who stepped aside, his hand reaching out as Mjolnir flew back to him.

Grendel crashed hard to the ground as Percy raised his hammer to attack again when a scream stopped him in his tracks. He turned to Reyna to see her being held by the hair by an even larger looking monster.

Percy eyes widened in realization and he cursed loudly.

"Damn it. Grendel and his mother. I should have known that." He growled at himself.

"I would drop that weapon son of lightning." The creature hissed at him.

Percy narrowed his eyes but glanced at Reyna who still had her gladius gripped tightly in her left hand. He dropped Mjolnir as he stared at her, shaking his head slightly, pleading for her to not do anything but the stubborn daughter of Bellona twisted around and drove the blade straight into the monster's stomach.

Reyna's eyes widened in disbelief when the weapon passed through the creature harmlessly.

Grendel's mother looked down at the weapon and smiled evilly as she yanked Reyna up off the ground by the hair.

"That wasn't very nice little girl. I think you need to be punished!"

Percy panicked. He glanced to see Grendel making his way up to his feet again while his mother had her fangs barred as Reyna tried to struggle but it was useless. He looked around as he felt his entire world crashing down. He was about to lose the first girl he ever kissed and one of his only friends and he was powerless to stop it.

As if responding to his sense of mind, thunder cracked overhead so loudly the very ground seemed to shake making Grendel and his mother stumble, the latter losing her grip on Reyna's hair as she fell roughly to the ground. Percy looked at the sky in shock, unsure of what exactly had just happened.

Despite his confusion, Percy didn't hesitate as his hand shot up, Mjolnir flew into it just as it reached its peak as Percy took one step forward and hurled the mighty hammer at the still disoriented monster. The weapon caught the monster in the chin and sent her flying backwards landing in a heap.

Before he could turn the Norse demigod was smacked hard from behind and sent flying into a tree a few feet away, Mjolnir slipping from his grasp when he collided. His armor protected him well but the impact left him slightly woozy. His eyes came back into focus just in time to find the monstrous ogre standing over him. He tried to roll aside but Grendel snatched him up by the armor and tossed to the left where he slammed into another tree.

Percy rolled over, his left arm bent in an unnatural direction. The son of Thor gritted his teeth and put his knee on his hand before jerked his arm to the left and snapping the bone back into place as he let out an agonized scream. He looked up to see a giant foot slam into his chest and send his sliding across the ground.

His mouth filled with the taste of his own blood and he knew he wasn't going to last much longer unless he somehow turned the tables.

He glanced up at Grendel who stood over him before the ogre raised its giant foot to stomp the demigod into the ground. As he prepared to roll the side, the monster grunted in pain and stumbled to his left as a large rock clocked him upside the head.

Percy looked up at Reyna who was searching for another large rock to use as a weapon, unaware of Grendel's mother stalking up behind her. Percy glanced around as saw Mjolnir a few yards away.

Grendel lumbered towards him again as Percy snatched up a handful of loose dirt and tossed it into the monster's eyes sending him staggering back temporarily blinded. The Norse demigod's hand shot up as Mjolnir answered his call, flying into his hand before Percy hurled it towards Reyna whose eyes went wide.

The might hammer of Thor flew over her head and caught the female ogre in the jaw for a second time, sending her to the ground in another heap.

Percy spun, holding his hand out behind him as Grendel cleared his vision and lunged at him. Percy dove forward just as Mjolnir hit his hand. He somersaulted forward, jumping to his feet again now behind the monster and swung Mjolnir with all he had, slamming it into the back Grendel's knee sending him to the ground with a sickening crunch of his knee. Grendel bellowed in agony as he looked down at his now disfigured knee before looking up and turning pale at what he found.

Percy stood over him and raised Mjolnir as clouds filled the night sky. Lightning flashed before a monstrous bolt dropped from the sky, connecting with the godly weapon as Percy drove the weapon into the chest of Grendel lighting up the area in a blinding light. When the light and dust cleared, Grendel was reduced to a pile of ashes.

Percy's head snapped to the monster's mother who was slowly coming to a few feet behind where Reyna was just staring at him with an unreadable expression. The look on her face broke his heart as he thought about everything he was going to lose now that she knew who he was; everything he worked for, the trust of the Romans, his friends Frank and Jason and what he had hoped would be a chance to get to know Reyna better.

His eyes moved from Reyna to the monster as his sorrow turned to anger and then rage. He stalked towards the monster with lightning dancing across his eyes.

"You will regret coming here, I promise you that." He growled at her as she finally seemed to come to and saw the son of Thor standing over her with Mjolnir in his hand as pure hatred in his eyes.

"We didn't have a choice. She made us." The monster pleaded.

Percy's eyes flashed and sparks danced off his skin.

"And now I will show you how much of as mistake that truly was."

He raised Mjolnir and the monster turned its head expecting death but screamed in agony as Mjolnir slammed into her knee with a sickening crunch.

"I had a home here!" Percy snarled raising his arm again and slamming the weapon into her other leg. "I had friends!" He yelled before crushing her arm she tried to raise it to defend herself. "And now I have nothing because of you and this stupid war! Hel will pay for this just as you will pay for it now!" He said raising the weapon up again. Thunder cracked so loudly overhead that Reyna flinched from her spot behind him before she watched him bring it down on the monster's head flattening it to the ground as blood, bones and brain shot out in every direction before the monster dissolved at last.

Percy stood over the spot where the monster had been lying breathing heavily as his anger and rage slowly started to subside. He knew what was waiting behind him but refused to turn around and face it knowing how much it was going to hurt.

After a moment he gathered his courage and turned around to face the inevitable.

Reyna was just staring at him. Her face didn't give away any emotion. She just stared, not saying a word as he waited for her to gather herself again.

After a minute her eyes narrowed, "_You_. I remember you. You saved Jason and I years ago from Lycaon and his pack. This is what he meant when he recognized you."

Percy just nodded but didn't reply. He wasn't sure if she would even let him explain but he waited for her to continue.

Reyna glared for another minute before she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Why?"

Percy shook his head, "Why what?"

Reyna's grip on her gladius tightened as she held it at her side.

"Why the lies? Why deceive us? Make up this fake identity to infiltrate our camp? Are you an enemy?"

Percy shook his head, "I had no other options. What I told you about my experience on Mount Othrys wasn't the whole truth."

Reyna stayed in her spot and just looked at him expectantly.

"This is going to be hard for you to understand Reyna. The gods of Olympus have been keeping a secret from you for a long time. If you wish to know the truth I will tell you but the answer is not likely to be one you like."

Reyna didn't waver and continued looking at him with her gladius still gripped tightly.

"When I was on Mount Othrys, I did not rescue the goddess Diana." He began as Reyna narrowed her eyes. "I rescued the goddess Artemis."

Reyna's expression turned confused, "What?"

"The gods, they have a secret." He explained. "They have two aspects. A Greek one and a Roman one."

Reyna's eyes widened but he continued before she could interrupt.

"They are the same gods but they aren't. It's like they have split personalities, a Greek one and a Roman one. And both sides make demigods. Across the country is another camp, a camp full of Greek demigods."

"Impossible." Reyna interjected. "We would know about them."

Percy shook his head, "During the American Civil War, it wasn't just North versus South. It was Greeks versus Romans as well and it was bloody. Hundreds of demigods were killed and even more injured badly. After the war, the gods wiped the minds of both sides and have taken great effort in making sure the two groups don't know about each other. When I was on Othrys, it was with two Greek demigods and two hunters and we rescued Diana in her Greek aspect Artemis. After she was rescued, I went to Olympus with the goddess."

Reyna's face was a little pale but she regained her composure, "How does this explain why you lied to us?"

"I wasn't finished. When I got to Olympus things did not go well. When Jupiter or in that case Zeus got a look at my weapon he demanded I give it to him. I set it on the ground and told him if he wanted it he could take it. When he could not lift the weapon, he became enraged and tried to kill me with his master bolt. Things kind of escalated when it didn't work so I fled. I didn't know what to do. I am on this world because the mistress Lycaon spoke of is the Norse goddess Hel. She is going to try to take this world over. My family is cut off from the world but I am supposed to be destined to be maybe be able to stop her. I was lost until I remembered you. I knew the gods paid far less attention to their Roman children so I entered camp as one so I could join the fight and not have to deal with Zeus until as late as possible." Percy explained hoping she would understand his reasons.

Reyna shook her head, "What do you mean Jupiter couldn't lift your hammer? Of course he could if you can."

Percy sighed and dropped Mjolnir on the ground. "Pick it up."

Reyna looked wary but Percy just sighed, "Please, just humor me."

Reyna hesitated for a minute before reaching down to pick it up. She was shocked to find it unimaginably heavy. She tried using two hands but the weapon did not budge, only increasing her frustrations.

"What does this prove? I am obviously not as strong as a god!"

Percy nodded, "Okay, now try again, please."

Reyna looked irritated but reached down with one hand to try. She almost fell on her butt as the weapon felt as light as a feather. She looked at it confused before turning to Percy, "Explain!"

He nodded, "In your hands is my father's godly weapon Mjolnir, the most powerful weapon ever in existence. Before my father was forced to leave Earth, he left this with me. It is mine now and it does as I wish it. If I want you to be able to wield it, you will. If not, then not even the King of the Gods can move it an inch."

Reyna looked at the weapon in her hands in awe, "You have the weapon of a god?"

He nodded slowly, "I've never met my father but I suppose he must care for me a lot if he was willing to part with his most prized possession just to aide me on Earth."

Reyna looked at for another minute before tossing it at Percy's feet. Before the weapon could touch the ground, Percy opened his hand as it flew back to its master before glowing faintly and reappearing as a bracelet on his wrist again.

"So what, all those things you said were so we would accept you? That you wanted a place where you belonged?" Reyna asked harshly.

Percy shook his head, "Other than my parentage and family life, I have never lied to you. Or to Frank or to Jason. I wish this war would never start, I would give anything to go back to Camp Jupiter and live my life as a Roman demigod."

Reyna's face was expressionless as she stood silently. Percy wasn't exactly sure what to do but after a minute he assumed she wasn't going to let this slide. He held out his hand as Mjolnir reappeared in it before looking Reyna apologetically.

"I never wanted to lie to any of you but I didn't have a choice. Where is a Norse demigod supposed to go when he is the only of his kind in existence? Bring Frank back to camp. I will deal with Hel and whoever else is on Mount Othrys."

Reyna looked at him oddly as he raised Mjolnir above his head. Her eyes widened when he shot up into the sky without so much as a gust of wind to propel him.

"HEY! WAIT! I WASN'T DONE TALKING!" She screamed loudly but he had already gotten out of sight in starless night sky.

Reyna cursed loudly in Latin. This was not how she wanted the conversation to end. Now he was gone and she was stuck alone with Frank and no idea what they should do next. She turned towards Frank's tent when a thud behind her caused her to whirl around with her gladius out. She froze when she saw it was Percy again.

"What else would you like to ask or are you going to try and kill me? I wouldn't hurt you but I won't allow myself to be killed either. I am stuck here in this wretched realm to do one thing and one thing alone, kill Hel and then perhaps I can find a way back to my family."

Reyna looked at him with an irritated expression, "So what? I get mad and you run off to get yourself killed in the middle of the Titan's base? Are you honestly that stupid or were you just trying to make a point?"

Percy raised an eyebrow, "What would you have me do? I'm not a Roman so I'm no longer welcome in Camp Jupiter. I am not going with those foolish Greeks either. I have a duty to live up to the name of my father. I can't just…."

"Will you please shut up for a minute!" She interrupted with a growl. Percy's eyes widened a bit but he nodded nonetheless.

"When we first met those years ago when you helped Jason and I from Lycaon and his pack of wolves, you said one day we would need you. If that's true then why are you running away?"

Percy's face had a look of confusion, "I just assumed you would want me to go since you know who I really am. I mean I can't really go back to New Rome, they'll execute me for being a spy or something."

"Yes they would," Reyna agreed. "If they found out who you really are. But since I'm the only one who knows, then I don't see why that's going to be a problem."

Percy's eyes widened, "You would keep my secret?"

Reyna's face had no sign of happiness but she nodded, "I believe you when you say you are here to help. If you truly are destined to beat this Norse goddess then it would not be wise of me to send you away now, would it?"

"I can't ask you to do that, it's too much to ask of you."

Reyna rolled her eyes, "I'm doing it for the legion not for you."

Percy didn't reply right away causing Reyna to become impatient. After a moment, he nodded, "Thank you Reyna."

She nodded but her face was still serious, "What you said to me, that was because you were trying to gain my trust so you could stay in camp, correct?"

Percy frowned a bit, "That I think you're beautiful and that kiss? I would not do that just to gain your trust. I did it because I meant it and I wanted to."

Reyna narrowed her eyes a bit and stepped closer, closing the distance between them until they were face to face. Reyna leaned a little closer making Percy smile he was about to get kissed again.

Before he could even try Reyna drove her knee into his groin dropping him to the ground gasping for breath.

"You lie to me again and it won't be my knee hitting you in the junk." She growled.

Percy nodded from the ground, his hands clutching his groin as he tried to catch his breath, "Noted."

Reyna smirked, "Good, now get up, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." She said offering him a hand.

Percy took it as she pulled him to his feet. He took a deep breath and nodded, "I am sorry for lying to you. I hated doing that."

Reyna nodded her head stiffly, "Why did my weapon pass through that monster as if they were air? It was a monster and Imperial Gold should be able to kill it, right?"

Percy shook his head, "But it's not a Greek or Roman monster. It was a Norse monster, they were killed by the Norse hero Beowulf many centuries ago but Hel is like the Norse version of Hades and thus can bring monsters like that into this world through whatever means she got to this realm. To kill a Norse monster, you need a weapon made from Uru metal, which is kind of like our version of Imperial Gold."

"Then what are we supposed to do? Let you fight every monster she throws at us?"

Percy shook his head as his hand went to his belt loop and to the keychain beside his silver sword. He unhooked the key chain and held it out of Reyna who took it with confusion. It was a tiny keychain of a sword. She looked back up at Percy who winked as the keychain elongated into a three foot long sword colored terrifying black with different Asgardian runes emblazoned on the blade and the leather hilt.

Reyna eyed it in awe for a moment before looking at Percy to explain.

"That is the first sword my adoptive mothers gave me. It was a gift to my mother Eir from the Norse God of War, Tyr. He gave it to her as a gift for bringing one of his sons to Vahalla to become a einherjar."

Reyna stared at him with wide eyes, "Um, what? You were raised by Valkyries?"

He nodded, "My grandfather Odin, King of the Norse Gods, asked for three volunteers to give up their lives and raise me here on Midgard after my mother passed giving birth to me. Eir, Brynhildr, and Sigrún volunteered for the job and since I could first walk, they have raised me and trained me to be the best I could be."

"Those were the relatives you said that raised you?"

Percy nodded, "They have sacrificed much for me, something I can never repay them for."

Reyna's eyes turned back to the beautiful sword held in her hands. He held it out to Percy, "I cannot take this, it was given to you by one of your guardians."

Percy gently pushed the sword back towards her, "Eir gave it to me when I was a small child but before I came to camp, she said if I found someone I truly trusted that I should pass it on to them."

Reyna looked down at the sword and then back at Percy, "And you want to give it to me?"

He shrugged, "Well Octavian isn't here so you'll have to be my plan B."

Reyna glared at him but he just cracked a small smile causing her glare to falter. She shook her head, "You drive me crazy sometimes Ja…." She paused. "You're name was Perseus, right?"

Percy nodded, "Yeah but you can call me Percy if you want. Percy Jackson in case you were wondering. My mortal mother's name was Sally Jackson before she passed so that makes me a Jackson. Not very Norse I guess but she must have been something special to catch the eye of my father who almost never had demigods while he was here."

Reyna nodded before she glanced at the tent in which Frank was still sleeping peacefully, "And what about Zhang? What happens if we come across more Norse monsters?"

Percy sighed, "I just have to hope he is willing to accept me like you have. He's been my best friend in camp, I just have to hope he'll forgive me for the lies."

Reyna face softened just the slightest, "He cares for you a great deal. You have made his life a lot better since coming to the legion, I think he will understand."

He glanced at Frank's tent and nodded, "We'll see." He said before looking back at Reyna with a serious expression, "And what about you? I know you'll keep my secret but do you understand why I had to do it?"

Reyna was quiet for a minute as she thought about how to answer.

"I can see you didn't have many options and coming to Rome was your best chance to stay off the gods' radar while also being in the middle of the war. I can understand."

Percy smiled, "Thank you."

Reyna nodded her head stiffly before she grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the tents. She shoved him towards his tent.

"Now sleep Centurion. That's an order."

Percy smiled a bit, "As you wish my lady."

Reyna rolled her eyes and climbed into her tent as Percy did the same unaware that Reyna's face had the same smile that his did as they both retired for the night. Percy looked at Frank's slumbering form and smiled a bit that he hadn't lost his friends or his home, at least not yet anyway.

**A.N: First things first, finding Norse monsters not related to the end of the world… Not in the least bit easy. I used Grendel and his mother because they were one of the few monsters not related to the Ragnarök and they were kind of at the lower end of what I found and what's the fun in throwing the best at Percy and Co. this early in the story? The research alone on this story is a workout. But the entire reason I got hooked on fanfiction was after reading the Champion of Olympus series by TheseusLives. His work is what I strive for and I don't care what the rest of you say, StarBlade176 despite being an amazing author in his own right, doesn't hold a candle to TheseusLives and the body of work he has published on this website. Don't take that wrong, Starblade is an amazing writer who is much better than me but in my mind TheseusLives is the best I've come across.**

**Hopefully this chapter was good, it took a bit to write as I wasn't impressed with the first draft and redid a chunk of it.**

**Also I've had a few people ask for an updating schedule for my stories… I have tried to do that and it just doesn't work. A week ago I was all about Timeless Warrior but after Sadie asked me a question that forced me to reread this fic, I've had this story on my mind.**

**Sorry for the novel but I tend to ramble sometimes… Now let me know what you thought, the good, bad, and the ugly.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	11. Frank's Mistake! Oops?

Ch. 11

Frank felt his hand slowly losing its grip on Jack's shirt as he tried to get the final words out, trying to tell his best friend exactly how much he meant to him. But Frank lost his battle with drowsiness as everything around him began to fade until his vision went completely dark.

As soon as it had come, the darkness vanished and Frank suddenly found himself in the middle of a large room with blood colored walls - a crimson that ironically made the son of Mars flinch - and it was decorated in a dark and gloomy, almost disconcerting way. He noticed the room was decorated with depictions of death before Frank's eyes widened as he assumed he was somehow in the throne room of Lord Pluto himself.

"Close but not quite, son of Rome." A feminine voice said from behind Frank, making him nearly jump out of his skin. The chubby cheeked demigod slowly turned around to find a beautiful woman seated on a throne of bones with an excessively large hound at her side as her hand stroked its head slowly. Frank was not intimidated by that nice, big, friendly dog. Nope. Not. At. All. Gulp.

His gaze turned to the woman, and as he stared at the woman seated on her throne more closely (he squinted so hard - making sure his eyes weren't failing him - that he probably broke the world with all that squinting), until Frank's eyes widened. Her body seemed to come into focus and it was terrifying in its true form. Half woman and half skeleton, her body didn't look capable of housing a living being with her entire left side was nothing more than bones and it literally made Frank want to crawl into a hole and hide for dear life rather than be in her eerie presence.

"W…W…Who are you?" He asked timidly, shuffling on his feet.

The woman smiled wryly, "I am Hel, Goddess of Niflheim, or the Underworld as you would call it, and Queen of my realm and all my subjects."

Frank looked perplexed and still petrified but the goddess continued to explain before he could ask.

"I am a Norse goddess, the daughter of Loki and Angrboda."

Frank's eyes were the size of dinner plates. His knowledge of Norse mythology was not what you would call extensive. Not knowing what else to do, he quickly dropped into a bow and kept his head down. He was nervous enough being in the presence of a goddess and her mere appearance made him shiver and want nothing more than to look anywhere other than her demonic looking form. So he kept his head down, respectful and also a way to break himself from having to apperceive her true form.

"I am not here to harm you Frank Zhang," Hel said in kind tone that still had a slight edge to it and that tone made him pale even further. "I come to warn you of a great threat that walks amongst you, waiting for his chance to destroy Rome and all that reside within it."

At those words Frank slowly looked up and waited for the goddess to continue.

Hel's expression was full of commiseration, "Your friend Jack is not who he claims to be son of Rome. He is a dangerous being who is a threat to you and all those you hold dear."

Frank's eyes narrowed a bit despite his previous fear of the being in front of him.

"Jack? How is he a threat? He has been nothing but an asset to New Rome and the legion! He is my friend, he would never betray Rome."

Hel's expression turned into one of feigned sympathy, "I am sorry for having to tell you the truth but he is not who you think he is. He is not a Roman but actually Norse, one hell bent of destroying all you hold dear."

Frank just looked at the goddess, refusing to believe her words. Hel noticed his look and shook her head.

"His real name is Perseus and he is a son of the Norse god, Thor."

Frank's jaw dropped a bit but he still refused to believe his friend had lied to him, "Why are you even telling me this?"

Hel sighed, "He is planning to destroy your demigod camp. Perseus was banished from his home in Asgard and exiled on Earth when he tried to kill his own father. He still managed to take his father's mighty hammer, Mjolnir, the most powerful weapon ever created. He is my cousin and our grandfather the All-Father, Odin, wanted to warn you and your camp. When Perseus was banished, all access back to our realm was destroyed so he could not return. With Mjolnir, he is strong enough to scare the pantheon of Norse gods as a whole. I am the only one who can still contact those on Earth because of my unique abilities that come along with my domain, but this is the limit of those abilities, to visit your dreams. I come to warn you Frank Zhang. You must kill him before he can kill you."

Frank wasn't sure what to say. He knew Jack wasn't a normal demigod, especially for a son of Venus, but he couldn't kill his friend. He had only protected Frank and tried to help him better himself through self-confidence and toning of his skills. Jack was his best friend and he deserved better than that from him.

"You're wrong about him. Maybe he is this Perseus guy but you don't know him. He is a good guy and an excellent Roman. I don't care who he really is, he's still my friend and I would never kill him." He said with a confidence that astonished even him.

Frank expected the goddess to be angry but instead she just looked at him with pity.

"You are very loyal Frank Zhang, an honorable trait to have in the world today. Perhaps if you saw firsthand what your friend was really like then you would better understand."

The goddess waved her hand as a red mist appeared in front of Frank.

Inside the mist an image appeared where Frank saw someone who looked a lot like a younger version of Jack approaching a group of what looked like mortals who were several years older than him. Frank's eyes widened when he grabbed one of their head's and snapped it with little effort. His stupefaction only grew when he saw Jack drive an axe through the forehead of another before the rest of the mortals ran for their lives.

The image shimmered a bit until Frank saw an older looking Jack in the middle of a room surrounded by thrones. Frank recognized some of the gods as he saw Jupiter holding his master bolt and Neptune his trident. He couldn't hear what they were saying but paled when he saw Jupiter launch his master bolt at his friend. The blast of the bolt illuminated the image and forced Frank to look away. But when it cleared, he looked back to find Jack was unharmed and just looked angry. Frank just stared at the scene until he saw another god, his own father, get off his throne only for Jack to hurl a massive hammer at him sending the war god crashing across the room. A few seconds later Jack was struck by lightning and vanished from the throne room.

The image slowly dissipated as Frank was just left staring at where it had been in utter disbelief.

"Do you see the truth now Frank Zhang? He is a killer, a threat even to your gods, a being hell-bent on destruction and death. His only wish in this life to hurt those who he can and bring those peoples' worlds in a state of chaos and despondency. I come to warn you and perhaps help you, if you will let me." Hel said seriously.

Frank slowly turned back to the goddess. It took a minute for him to find his voice again but he could no longer deny her words after what he had witnessed.

"What can I do?"

Hel smiled slyly. She held out her hand as a small vial appeared in it.

"You will dip your arrow in this and shoot Perseus before he can kill you. He is extremely powerful so you will have to wait for the right moment to make your move."

Frank was silent. He had so many emotions racing through his mind, none more prominent than anger and betrayal. He nodded to the Norse goddess.

She tossed him the vial, "When you wake you must act like you are still his friend. Tomorrow afternoon I will send one of my minions to attack Perseus. They will not be able to kill him but when he is distracted you will have your chance. Shoot him and save your friends, family and camp Frank Zhang. This is the only opportunity you will get. Should you not take it, I will not be able to help you again and may your gods have mercy on your soul."

Frank looked down at the vial for a second before his face hardened, "I'll do it; for Rome and the legion."

Hel smiled approvingly but her mind was already patting itself on the back for her utterly resplendent plan.

"Good. When Romans of the future mention the name Frank Zhang they shall speak of the savior of your people and continue to do so for eons to come. Rest son of Rome, you have a date with destiny tomorrow." She said before waving her hand in front of Frank's face as his vision went dark again. The next thing he knew he felt himself waking up where he saw 'Jack' standing over him with a smile.

That smile made something inside of him shift. He tried not to give any of his emotions away. He had to wait for the right time... or else he was a dead man.

A part of him - the loyal, trusting, naive part - whispered in the back of his mind that Jack was his friend. Jack would never do that.

'You saw what he's capable of!' the angry, betrayed, irrational side of him screamed back.

Frank returned the smile with a small one that he passed off as tired.

'Why would a Norse goddess help a Roman?' Loyalty asked angrily.

Frank ignored it.

Line Break

Frank sat on a log silently eating the breakfast 'Jack' had prepared for them. His mind raced with the dream vision he had the night before. He looked at his supposed friend and watched as he spoke to him with a genuine looking smile on his face.

Was this just some act? If it was, he had to give it to this Perseus guy, he played the part well. Frank nodded whenever 'Jack' would look at him expectantly until Frank finally relaxed as 'Jack' seemed to have tired of the one-sided conversation and started talking to Reyna.

Frank remained silent throughout breakfast as he watched Reyna and this Perseus guy closely. They seemed different than they had been before. Not flirting or anything but something was different and Frank couldn't quite put his finger on it.

He looked into the inside pocket of his coat where the vial had been when he woke from his dream with the Norse goddess before nervously zipping up his coat before anyone noticed.

"You ready to get moving Frank?" 'Jack' asked still smiling. Frank wasn't sure why he was smiling so much. Was it because he planned on killing them today? It didn't matter. Frank would do his duty as a Roman before he, Reyna or anyone in the legion could be hurt by this rogue Norse demigod.

Frank stood up and forced himself to smile, "Yeah I'm ready. My back feels fine today. Thanks again Jack."

Percy nodded as he and Reyna took off in the lead, Frank trailing a few feet behind them and keeping a close eye on Jack as they walked.

Frank kept his mouth shut for the next few hours. He watched the way 'Jack' and Reyna interacted. They seemed to be walking oddly close to each other, brushing against each other occasionally which only seemed to make Frank even more confused. He had seen when people got inside Reyna's personal space and it usually ended painfully and often bloody for the offenders. But if anything she seemed to be enjoying the close proximity to this enemy infiltrator.

Frank shook his head, soon the truth would be revealed and Reyna would see how close she was to walking into her own death.

They stopped when the Titan's fortress was in view, they couldn't have been more than a mile from the base of the mountain.

"Any ideas about how to approach the mountain?" Percy asked looking at Reyna.

The daughter of Bellona was silent as she thought. The mountain would certainly have monsters all around it. But the fact they had made it this far without so much as a single monster sighting made her uneasy. She looked over at Percy whose eyes were on the surrounding area, his own face full of unease as she guessed he was thinking the same. She glanced at Frank who looked extremely nervous but that wasn't out of the norm for the inexperienced demigod.

She turned back to Percy only to find his eyes narrowed.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Something is coming. Something big."

Before Reyna could ask anymore, the thundering of huge footsteps was heard to her left as she turned to find the largest hound she ever laid eyes on bounding straight at them.

Percy shoved Reyna aside just as the beast collided with him sending him flying backwards. He landed roughly on his back as the hound recovered from their collision and pounced at him.

Percy's hand opened as Mjolnir appeared in it as he swung it defensively, catching the monster below the jaw and sending it stumbling backwards. Percy climbed to his feet and saw Reyna with the sword he had given her out.

"What is that thing?" She asked looking at the bloodstained hound as it recovered from Percy's attack.

Percy kept his eyes on the hound, "That is Garmr. He is the guard dog of the gates of Niflheimr or Hel's domain."

"We can kill it though, right?"

Percy didn't answer immediately making Reyna nervous.

"Well, he's prophesied to kill the god of war in the battle at the end of the world but hey, I'm sure a few teenage demigods can take him, right?"

Reyna paled a bit but kept calm despite the powerful Norse monster in front of them. Garmr was crouched down low stalking towards them slowly as Percy and Reyna stood side by side with their weapons out.

Garmr kept up his slow pace. Percy raised Mjolnir to the sky as thunder rumbled loudly overhead. Lightning struck the ground erratically making Garmr hesitate. Just as Percy prepared to hurl his mighty weapon at the monster, he felt a sharp pain in his back. His eyes widened as he heard Reyna gasp. His eyes slowly went down to his chest where the tip of an arrow was poking out his skin.

The Norse demigod stumbled forward a few steps, the ability to breathe fading fast as the arrow went right through his left lung.

"What have you done?" Reyna screamed.

Percy slowly turned. He guessed where the arrow came from but refused to believe it until he laid eyes on his best friend Frank Zhang with his bow in hand and a look of fear on his face.

"Frank?" Percy said in utter shock. "Why?"

Frank's face hardened. "I had to, Perseus. For the legion, for Rome."

Just as Percy fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood, so did Frank, when he was punched by Reyna.

"You idiot!"

And then there was nothing. Darkness.

* * *

**A.N: So sorry for the short chapter but I didn't want to drag it out and I wanted to end it at a nice little cliffhanger. Damn Frank…**

**Now if you review a lot, I'll start writing next chapter immediately. If not, well I might work on another fic first. Am I threatening you? Yup, seems that way. Perks of being the author I guess.**

**Seriously though, I know it was short but I would love to hear what you all thought.**

**Beta's note: First of all, Frank baby nooooo... I was so mad when I first read it. I was like "hell to the no, bitch " ... but I dealt with it *glares at Anaklusmos* jerk. **

**So. Since I'm updating this today (Yay!) I got to name the chapter and I'm so sorry if it sucks. Anyway, review cause this is like my fave... bye! **

**-Sadie Winchester **


	12. Frank Breaks the Fourth Wall!

The Legacy of Asgard - Chapter 12

_Last chapter…_

_Garmr kept up his slow pace. Percy raised Mjolnir to the sky as thunder rumbled loudly overhead. Lightning struck the ground erratically making Garmr hesitate. Just as Percy prepared to hurl his mighty weapon at the monster, he felt a sharp pain in his back. His eyes widened as he heard Reyna gasp. His eyes slowly went down to his chest where the tip of an arrow was poking out his skin._

_The Norse demigod stumbled forward a few steps, the ability to breathe fading fast as the arrow went right through his left lung._

"_What have you done?" Reyna screamed._

_Percy slowly turned. He guessed where the arrow came from but refused to believe it until he laid eyes on his best friend Frank Zhang with his bow in hand and a look of fear on his face._

"_Frank?" Percy said in utter shock. "Why?"_

_Frank's face hardened. "I had to, Perseus. For the legion, for Rome." _

_Just as Percy fell to the ground in a pool of his own blood, so did Frank, when he was punched by Reyna. _

_"You idiot!" _

_And then there was nothing. Darkness. _

Now…

Reyna turned after unleashing all her anger and fury onto Frank's pudgy face and watching him crumple to the ground in an unconscious heap and ran to Percy's side. She could see the blood quickly pooling around his body. She checked his pulse which was there but faint and fading. She looked at the arrow unsure of what to do. She looked around but the monstrous hound had vanished from the area leaving her alone with a dying Percy Jackson and unconscious dumbass son of Mars.

She put a hand on the arrow trying to figure out how best to remove it but stopped herself. She was a warrior, not a medic.

Then the truth hit her, she didn't know what to do. She couldn't help him. She was going to sit there useless and watch him die. The one demigod who could save them from this Norse goddess and the first boy she had kissed in her short yet difficult life. Despite the less than loving kick to the groan she gave him the night before, she wasn't even angry about the lies. She knew they were necessary and even if she wouldn't admit it to herself, she had been excited to see where things went with this mysterious and powerful demigod.

Reyna felt a strange sensation on her face. Her hand slowly went up to her cheek where she felt of moisture of the tear trickling down her face.

She reached out and grabbed Percy's hand softly in hers giving it a gentle squeeze as she prayed for some kind of miracle to ride in and save the day.

A strange sound appeared behind her as the daughter of Bellona whirled around with her weapon in hand just as three beautiful women stepped out of what looked like a doorway made of nothingness, just a tear in air.

Reyna tensed and stood in front of Percy's dying body protectively as she looked at the three strangely dressed women. Two of them stood with hardened expressions on their faces, full of worry but also anger. The third and most beautiful of the three's face was full of despair.

"Perseus," she gasped before her face hardened like the three others and looked at Reyna with rage in her eyes. "What happened to him? Who did this?"

Reyna wasn't sure what to say. She had deduced these must be the three immortal Valkyries that had raised Percy but that only made the situation more complicated.

She pointed towards Frank's unconscious body, "He attacked when Percy was fighting some giant hound."

Eir narrowed her eyes as she looked at Frank's body. She opened her mouth to ask what happened to him when she saw Reyna's blood knuckles and figured it out.

The three immortal maidens made their way over and knelt by Percy's side. They began working together, to carefully removed the arrow from his body and then to stop the bleeding. They carefully bandaged up the wound on both sides. Reyna bit her lip nervously as she watched them work, hoping they would be able to save him.

One of the Valkyries muttered some words in a strange language as she held a hand over Percy's wound making it glow faintly for a second before it faded. The three woman exchanged looks with one another, all their faces etched with worry.

"Is he alright? Will he make it?" Reyna asked more frantically than she would have liked.

Two of the Valkyries stood up while Eir remained kneeling beside Percy holding his hand softly.

"The wound is poisoned. We slowed its spread through his body but it will only prolong his death. This is beyond our ability to heal." One answered seriously. Her tone was somewhat stoic but her eyes gave away her grief.

"What do you mean? You're supposed to be his guardians! Do your jobs and save him!" Reyna yelled before she could stop herelf.

The two standing Valkyries narrowed their eyes at the demigoddess but Eir spoke before they could respond.

"She is simply as worried for Perseus as we are. She is the one I told you about, the one he has grown close with. Her reaction is to be expected. She meant no disrespect sisters." She said as the other two immortals seemed to relax a bit.

The sound of groaning from their left turned all eyes to the pudgy Asian demigod as he sat up holding the swollen side of his face.

"You!" One of the Valkyries snarled as Frank's eyes widened and he climbed to his feet and drew his bow as quickly as he could.

The immortal flicked her wrist as the bow went flying from Frank's hand before she made a chocking motion with her hand as Frank's hands went to his throat trying to pry non-existent hands from his neck.

"I am going to rip you apart slowly and painfully you weak-minded fool. You dare attack Asgard's chosen one. You dare attack the favorite son of Thor and blessed grandson of the All-Father himself. I shall drag you back to Asgard and let Perseus' father take his time punishing you for your actions." She snarled with such rage it made even her sisters shiver.

She flicked her wrist again as Frank was sent flying backwards where he crashed into a tree before landing on his face on the ground in front of it.

The Valkyrie took a step towards Frank to deliver more punishment when the other spoke up.

"Brynhildr enough! We will deal with him later."

The Valkyrie turned with her face still full of rage, "I want my vengeance Sigrún! Perseus would want it as well."

The two Valkyries glared at each other, neither willing to give in until Eir broke them from their staredown.

"Enough! Come here. This boy is a son to us. Join me at his side sisters."

Sigrún and Brynhildr both nodded. They began to walk towards Percy when thunder so loud the very ground shook knocked everyone off their feet.

Reyna looked up at the sky in worry, "Lord Jupiter is angry." She said looking at Percy's guardians but were shocked to find them looking at the sky with hope in their eyes.

"Jupiter couldn't produce thunder like that if his life depended on it." Sigrún laughed. "Only one god could be behind that."

Reyna looked confused for a second before her eyes widened, "But Percy's father isn't even on Earth."

Brynhildr nodded her head, "No he is not. But now you may see the true power of the Aesir and that Perseus possesses."

Reyna wasn't sure what she meant but the three Valkyries pushed her back, away from Percy's body.

"What are you doing?"

Eir smiled, "Saving your life most likely. You aren't going to want to be close to him right now."

Before Reyna could ask what she meant, deafening thunder cracked overhead again before a monstrous bolt of lightning dropped from the sky and hit Percy's unmoving body square in the chest. Percy's guardians held up their hands as a shield of energy appeared around the four females.

The bolt seemed endless as Percy's body convulsed violently, millions of volts of electricity coursed through his body for what seemed like forever. In reality it was only a moment later when the bolt was gone and Percy's smoking body lay unmoving again on the ground.

The Valkyries dropped their hands as Reyna ran over to Percy's body followed closely by the three immortals.

"Is he dead?" Reyna asked.

Eir knelt over Percy's body and held her hand over his chest as she closed her eyes. A few seconds later as smile appeared on her face.

"He is alive. The poison is also gone. The electricity purged it from him body."

Reyna was awestruck, "How is that possible?"

Sigrún put a hand softly on Percy's cheek and was relieved to find the color returning to his face.

"He is a son of lightning. Thor rarely has children and almost no demigods. Because of that, Perseus is indescribably powerful and lightning is his domain. Lightning could never hurt a son of Thor. His father saved him." She said, unable to keep the smile off her face.

"We must let him rest. I believe we have other things we need to take care of." Eir said her eyes turning to where Frank was lying in the ground, just starting to stir again after his violent lesson on the density of trees.

The two other Valkyries turned to the Roman demigod with eerily calm expressions on their beautiful faces. The one that had flung Frank against the tree tilted her head to the side, barely noticeable, and her sisters followed her lead.

"Yes," Eir whispered. "All right."

Reyna furrowed her eyebrows and ripped her gaze away from Percy's body. "What is it?"

The Valkyries ignored her and instead turned to each other and nodded in agreement. The next second, Brynhildr vanished through the doorway from which the three had come from. Sigrun walked over to Frank's stirring body and touched his forehead. In an instant, the Roman and Valkyrie vanished.

Reyna was left alone with Percy's recovering body and Eir.

"Where did they go?" Reyna asked softly.

Eir turned her gaze on Reyna and her child. "Do you know who we are, half-blood? We are Percy's guardians since his family cannot be with him. Lord Loki has a message to deliver to your fellow Roman."

"What kind of message?"

For the first time since they had arrived, Eir's beautiful face morphed into a vengeful one, her lips twisted into a sadistic smirk. "What is the fun in spoiling the surprise, dear?"

Reyna shut her mouth and instead, turned her attention to Percy, who had also begun to stir. His fingers began to move, and she reached for his hand, she never was a girl for it, but she wanted to comfort him.

"I wouldn't touch him if I were you… unless you want to be electrocuted, that is." Eir warned. Reyna retreated her hand and stood up from her place beside the Norse demigod. "Don't worry too much. He's out of harm's way now. He should wake up soon, but I will take him somewhere safe."

Eir walked over to her child, but before she could touch him to transport them elsewhere, Reyna spoke. "Please take me with you."

Eir contemplated this for a moment before she nodded. She placed a hand on Percy's arm and flinched when the remaining lightning shocked her and her other hand on Reyna's.

Reyna saw the world spin, tear itself apart and put itself back together, and repeat the process again all while she stood in the middle of it. Then the ground underneath her disappeared and so did the hand on her shoulder. The next thing she knew, she was standing in the middle of a foyer. The sun was shining through the high, glass ceiling. Almost everything was made of glass and Reyna was scared that if she breathed a bit too much, the fragile-looking furniture may collapse along with the ceiling.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen." Eir assured her as she picked Percy up and headed up the glass stairs that had a blue-ish glow to them. Reyna, although hesitant, followed her up and was surprised when the stairs didn't collapse under her weight.

"How did you do that? The traveling thing? I thought it would hurt."

"No," Eir said as they walked up a hallway with several doors. She stopped in front of a door with lightning bolts engraved all over it. "Unlike my sisters, I twist reality instead of the opposite. My sisters, when they travel someone, it feels like being suffocated. Instead of reality tearing and twisting itself apart, it would be you. Think of it like having your whole body being forced through a sink pipe."

"Not pleasant, then," Reyna murmured and Eir chuckled. "Not at all."

"So, where are we?" Reyna looked around the bedroom. It also had a high ceiling but instead of the ceiling being glass, it appeared to be the sky on a stormy night. Lightning flashed angrily through the clouds as they walked in.

"Montauk." Eir said as she placed her child on his bed. Reyna shuffled over to the other side of the bed and tried to fix the pillows. Wow, she was so out of character today wasn't she?

Percy groaned a bit before he sighed contently while snuggling closer to his comfortable pillows and fell back into his slumber, this time without the piercing and burning pain in his lungs.

"Montauk?"

"Yes. On the outside, this place looks like a regular beach house but as you can see, it is enchanted to be bigger in the inside. Only my sisters, Perseus and I can see it for what it truly is, and the Norse Gods, too." Eir gestured to all around them with a smile on her face.

Reyna hesitated before asking the next question:

"Where is Frank?"

To her surprise, Eir didn't glare at her, but instead her smile widened. "Oh, he's downstairs asleep, you could say."

"Asleep?" the Roman asked alarmed.

"No, your soldier isn't dead, if that's what you're thinking. Now, how about we find you a room so that you can rest, hm?"

-x-

When Frank awoke, there was nothing but silence.

His vision was nothing but blurry and he had a massive headache, his muscles throbbed in pain, and the last he could remember was… well, nothing. Except his name.

He sat up wincing and clutching his pounding head, as his vision became sharper until he could finally make out his surroundings.

Then, he heard faint footsteps against wet grass. "Frank, I am so sorry! Are you okay?" It was a soft, feminine voice that had spoken.

Frank blinked and looked up to meet golden eyes. Her skin was dark and her hair was like curly chocolate. She wore an apologetic smile on her face. She looked younger than him, probably around thirteen or fourteen years old. "A…Are you okay?" she asked again.

Frank grunted and tried to stand up, but his clothes felt heavy, and as he looked around, he could see that the sky was darkening with gray clouds.

"Y-Yes, I think so. What happened?"

The girl looked confused for a moment. "Oh, dear." She whispered. "Maybe you should come inside so that I can check your head. You may have a concussion." She held her hand out for him to take, which he took without a second thought. She smiled.

"Hazel! What happened to him? He's bleeding!"

"He ran into a tree when we were playing Hide and Seek. I think he slipped on the wet grass."

A cold rush of wind hit slammed into Frank, even though they were inside the house, and he stumbled back a few steps before he caught a grip on a table but his back managed to hit the wall with a loud thud. He didn't even feel the pain and it was as if the other two didn't even notice. "Actually, Miss di Angelo, I'm fine." He backed away from the wall slightly and glanced at it. It was cracked.

Miss di Angelo was a small and petite woman with olive skin and beautiful and dark brown eyes.

_Hazel's adopted, _Frank's mind supplies as he takes in Miss di Angelo's appearance and compared her features to Hazel's.

Hazel's mother looked at him with a worried expression on her face as she checked around his head and Hazel herself walked back to him with a wet rag in hand. "I don't think we need to bandage his head."

She stepped behind him and began to carefully tend the cut on his forehead. He winced slightly. Hazel gave him a comforting smile and kissed his forehead. "All done. It stopped bleeding, so I won't be able to put a little band-aid on you. Shame, since I got those Kung Fu Panda ones that you liked."

Frank felt a sharp stab of pain on his chest. It wasn't because of the band-aids, but… he remembered someone had called him that once. A friend, he thinks.

"All right, just don't go back to running outside. It's about to storm." Miss di Angelo said as she looked out the window to the darkening sky. Lightning flickers in the sky and Frank flinches once again. "Maybe you should stay here tonight, Frank. I'll go ahead and call your grandmother and let her know."

Frank nods silently with his eyes fixed on the angry sky irrationally fearful. His throat tightens up as the storm roars and the lights flicker on and off. He feels another sharp pain, this time stronger, in his lungs and he can't breathe.

But then he _can _and it's like it never happened.

The remaining sunlight has faded and now it's completely dark in less than a second. The storm clouds are gone and the stars shine brightly.

"What the…?"

Hazel's eyes shifted over to him. "Are you okay?" she said this like it was all totally normal.

"It… whaaaa…?"

"Frank?"

"It… it was day, and now it's night!"

"Yeah…?"

"That's not normal!" He exclaimed in alarm and for some unknown reason, his fist collided with the wall. It didn't hurt him, but the wall cracked. What was it with him and breaking walls?

Hazel looked at him funnily like _he _was the weird one and didn't even flinch at his act of violence. "Frank, maybe you need to lay down."

His surroundings turned dark as if someone had turned the lights off, and the next thing he knew, someone switched the lights back on and he was in his bedroom lying on his bed.

He shrugged it off just like Hazel had done with the change of time so sudden, but it's like a part of him didn't want to shrug it off. A part of him was telling him that _something _was off… and despite the weird occurrences being right in front of him, it's like he was forced to turn a blind eye on them.

He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Days passed and he saw Hazel and her mother every day. Sometimes he would hesitate until his mind supplied information for him. He hadn't remembered that Hazel did in fact have two siblings, the biological children of Maria di Angelo. But he knew now. He knew that Nico was a hyper kid who was obsessed with some game called Mythomagic and that Bianca was really good at drawing and that she loved to take long runs in the mornings. He knew that their father, who remained nameless, had left them when Nico had been born. It's like the information was there, but _wasn't. _

He cracked a smile at something that Nico said at the dinner table.

That was another thing. As the days went by, neither Frank's 'grandmother' nor anybody else from his family made a guest appearance in his life. It was like nobody even _cared. _ Every morning he woke up in his bedroom and the next thing he knew, he would be sitting at a round table, chatting and eating with Hazel and her family, falling more and more in love with the golden eyed girl.

Eventually, three weeks had passed and Frank's mind was no longer momentarily confused. He went along with everything. The weird time changes, the angry lightning storms, his family missing from the picture.

Everything. Well, except…

"Hazel?"

Despite his mind being confused about her, he knew that he loved her a lot and he would die if something happened to her. He called out her name once again, but she didn't answer his call. Panic began to flood his chest and he began running down the dark alley, the smell of smoke and filth filling his nostrils. "Hazel!"

He heard a familiar scream behind him and he spun on his heel. He automatically reached for his bow and arrow - wait, what?

The next scream was accompanied by a maniacal laugh that made Frank shudder in fear down to his toes. He ran after the scream, his feet thumping against the ground, the darkness swallowing him in. He struggled for air, but he couldn't get it in his lungs.

-x-

Reyna sighed worriedly as she lied on the bed in the bedroom that Eir had told her to stay in. She was eager for Percy Jackson to wake up so that they could get going with their quest - and, yes, Frank too.

She chuckled dryly.

So much for best friends, right?

She pondered on this thought for a couple of minutes before her stomach grumbled and she was forced to rise from the very comfortable bed that she was on. She put her shoes back on and walked towards the bedroom door.

She stepped out of the room and closed the door quietly behind her and looked down the hallway, wondering where the kitchen was. The Roman demigoddess began to walk down the hall and down the stairs until she heard Frank's pained and tortured screams.

Then, sobbing.

Her eyebrows furrowed together and her jaw clenched. She weighed the pros and cons of finding the Asian boy and saving him from his punishment. He did deserve it, but on the other hand, torture… what was she thinking? She was a Roman! In New Rome, if you betrayed fellow soldier, you would be stuffed in a sack with angry wolves and thrown in Neptune's domain until dawn.

But…

Another pained scream that made her flinch. She sighed and carefully headed towards the door from where the screams had come from.

She kicked the door open, and what she was met with, she was not expecting.

-x-

In front of Frank was a bloody and tattered Hazel with tears in her eyes. She was looking at him reproachfully as she continued on being cut by an invisible attacked wielding a silver knife. The knives cut deep within the girl, and every time she screamed for help while Frank stood there doing _nothing. _He wanted to, but his feet were glued to the ground. He could not tear his eyes away nor could he say a word. He couldn't breathe. He could do nothing except watch as his girlfriend was being stabbed and slashed at.

The invisible wielder of the knife then plunged the knife into her chest and left it there. Hazel's head fell to the side, her eyes wide open as the life faded from them.

Silence.

Then he could breathe again and he could move. He felt the hot tears run down his face as he ran to Hazel's lifeless body and kneeled beside her. He took the knife out of her chest carefully even though she could no longer be hurt. His fingers traced her face and finally reached her eyes, which he closed tenderly.

Tears fell on her, mixing with her blood. He wanted to scream, but he couldn't. He punched the wall nearest to him in despair and anger. When his fist collides with the wall, he hears and feels the bones in his hand break, but so did the concrete wall. Little cracks forming from the hole that he left with his fist with stains of his blood.

Then, he is flung onto the opposite wall away from Hazel's body, his whole body slamming against the wall and the crack of bones and concrete is louder this time.

"Frank!" A shorter man than he appears from the shadows, stepping over Hazel's body and glancing at her disinterestedly. He wears a friendly smirk on his lips, his brows quirk and his golden eyes shine with amusement.

He has dark, golden hair slicked back and he wears a dark green jacket almost brown with a maroon button up shirt and dark blue jeans to go along with it. Overall, he seems like a pretty chill guy. Except he's not.

"That's the fourth wall you've broken this month!" the man exclaims cheerily. "You broke two on your first day here, and now two _here." _The man chuckles. "Get it? Fourth wall?"

Oh, Frank gets it all right, but he's not laughing.

"Ugh, mortals. So boring." the man says with a roll of his eyes and an edge of irritation in his voice.

"Who… who are you?" Frank croaks out, his throat dry.

"Me?" the man points to himself and slides over towards Frank, who is still pinned up on the cracked wall.

"Slide to the left," the short man slides to the left smoothly. "Slide to right," the man does and he's only a couple of steps away from Frank. "Two hops, two hops!" The man hops twice and he's finally standing directly in front of a very scared and alarmed Frank. "What? ChaCha slide!" he says indignantly. "Anyway, I'm Loki. Percy's uncle. You know Percy," Loki said casually as he ran a hand through his hair and slicked it back more than it already was. "Percy the one who you pierced a poisoned arrow through his back."

Frank tried to defend himself, but he found that he could utter no words.

Percy. Percy. _Perseus. __**Jack. **_

"Ah, yes, I see you remember everything now, right? Even the part where you so foolishly listened to Hel and that there is an angry teenage girl out for your blood because you hurt her boyfriend? Well… they're not dating _yet. _Sorry, getting off track here. Like I was saying, I hope that you enjoyed your stay here in Loki's World of Revenge, where you get to watch your loved ones be murdered! Frankly, though, I would never admit it to anyone else, but I had a little help with manipulating your emotions from Freya!" He winked but sighed in irritation and pinched the bridge of his nose at Frank's puzzled look. "Freya… goddess of love and beauty."

"Like… _Venus?_"

Loki laughed loudly. "Venus," he spat out her name in disgust. "She has _nothing _on Freya. Your gods are like children compared to us in the power scale." He said proudly. "And don't even get me started on our demigods! But… like I was saying. I hope you got the big 'you hurt Asgard's Chosen One and you will pay, fuck you' message and come again soon!"

Loki snapped his fingers and Frank awoke with a jolt, sweat running down his forehead and a blood curling scream.

Next thing he knew, before he could recover full consciousness, Reyna had kicked down the door with all of her strength only to find a sweaty Frank laying on a bed, gasping for air.

"What the hell? You screamed bloody murder because you had a _nightmare_!"

-x-

Percy Jackson's eyes snapped open, darting back and forth as all the memories of the last thing he remembered came back to him. Frank shooting him in the back and then nothing but darkness. He sat up, sparks bouncing violently off his skin before his eyes widened when he saw Eir smiling at him from a seat by the door.

"What happened?"

"You were literally stabbed in the back by your best friend. Hel convinced him that you were the enemy." The immortal explained carefully.

Percy's eyes narrowed dangerously before his hand went to his chest where he remembered the arrow poking through. He felt the scar already formed but it appeared to be long since healed only furthering his confusion.

"You were poisoned, a very powerful kind of poison found only in Niflheim. You were all but dead when we arrived."

He just stared at the immortal waiting for more explanation.

"Your father saved you. He used his lightning to purge the poison from your body. You've been discharging the after effects of it for the last couple hours." Eir said gesturing to the charred portions of the bed next to where his hands and feet would have been while he slept.

"What about Reyna, is she alright?" He asked quickly remembering Garmr and the attack before Frank tried to kill him.

A mischievous smirk tugged at Eir's lips, "She is fine, quite worried about you but otherwise fine."

Percy's face reddened a bit before his face turned serious again, "And Frank?"

Eir's smile vanished.

"Your Uncle Loki wished to have some words with him. Give him a taste of what he tried to put us through by killing you."

Percy looked shocked. He didn't really think his family would care so much. He thought about what his mothers had told him about his Uncle Loki and became a little worried. Eir noticed his expression and shook her head.

"He won't be harmed, not physically anyway. That will be up to you."

Percy let out a breath and nodded, "Let's go find Frank and Reyna, we've got some talking to do and a mission to complete."

**A.N: First off, most thanks should go to Sadie Winchester, my always helpful.. er, sometimes helpful, beta who wrote the majority of this chapter for me. Yeah, I'm lazy but I what can you do? I happen to love what she did with this chapter. If you didn't, well sucks for you. Next chapter they'll get back to the quest. Remember the more you review, the quicker I'm going to write the next chapter... Not holding it hostage, just informing you that motivation is nice when it comes to writing.**

**Let me know what you thought, the good, the bad and the ugly.**


End file.
